


An AU from an AU —aka Mini Greenie

by Ailec_12



Series: Anatomy of a Home [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, De-aged Zelena, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Past Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-01-16 09:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21269171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailec_12/pseuds/Ailec_12
Summary: Self-indulgent fic diverging from "Chapter Seven" inOf Forgiveness and Hope. It features de-aged!Zelena, sorta big brother Henry and Regina trying very, very hard not to lose her cool.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mariagvogel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariagvogel/gifts).
**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written between October and December 2016 and beta-ed by InkAndScribbles (user on FF.net).  
Dedicated to my friend **Mary**, with a special mention to **Allthestoriesrtrue24601**, who has virtually reviewed every single chapter of the works belonging to this series. I can never thank enough all this support.

Henry burst into the house before his mother had arrived. He knew only his aunt was there and was determined to take advantage of it.

“Aunt Zelena!” he called out.

The redhead showed up at the top of the stairs a few moments later and he had to force himself not to stomp his way up.

“What’s up?” she asked, visibly confused by his excitement.

“Look at what I’ve got here,” he replied, grinning as he showed her a crystal ball.

At last, that caught Zelena’s attention and she descended the stairs with curiosity plainly written on her face. She came up to her nephew, who promptly handed out the object to her. His mother would not take long now to arrive and he needed to act fast if he wanted to have any hope of keeping the gift.

“What’s this?” she questioned as she took it. From outside, it looked empty and ordinary.

“Mr. Gold gave it to me. As a Christmas present in advance.”

His aunt’s reaction was expected —her eyes went wide open and shot up at him in alarm. He was also aware that his mother’s response would not be so meek.

“Rumple? You accepted something from him? Do you know how dangerous it can be?”

Henry frowned as she twisted the ball in her hands, examining it from every angle. He regretted not being able to leave his grandfather out of it, but he knew it would eventually have been found out. He swallowed his protests about her condescendence towards him and tried to smile.

“Relax, Auntie. It only serves to show things about the past. If you look at somewhere or someone through it, you can see the memories of that person or what happened in that place.”

He thought he had done a good job of sounding calm and sure of himself, but Zelena did not seem very swayed towards his cause. He had been counting on her curiosity overcoming her caution.

“Regina won’t like it,” she replied in a neutral voice.

The redhead kept looking down at the ball with a deep frown and Henry allowed himself to cringe a little. It was time to attempt to get her help.

“I know.”

He had no chance to start his argument beyond those two words, though. The ball began to get brighter out of the blue, lighting up Zelena’s shocked face. Everything happened in a blur. Before she could have time to put the magical item down, the light surrounded her completely. She seemed unable to make any movement or noise and he was certainly feeling the same.

When the light became too bright to keep looking, he was forced to lift his arm and cover his eyes. It did not take long for it to fade away, either, to Henry’s relief. He immediately looked at his aunt, wanting to check she was all right. However, his aunt was no longer there. In her place, a girl about ten years old stood. She let the crystal ball go and it shattered into a million pieces, leaving a terrifying echo in the boy’s mind.

* * *

Regina was furious. She stormed in her home, Robin’s worried words still ringing in her head. How on earth had Rumple thought she —or Emma, for that matter— would be okay with his giving Henry some magical object? Possibly, that was the very point of it, though. The imp loved being annoying. Even if she arrived in time to avoid any disaster, she doubted her wish to strangle him with her bare hands would go away.

The house was quiet when she entered, but it did not take her long to find her son, who was at the bottom of the staircase, near the entry of the living room. She was livid and almost missed the other person standing there. Her brown eyes fixed on the girl at once. She looked a little younger than Henry and had plenty of curly bright red hair. The girl had been staring at her when she came in, but she quickly looked away when Regina’s gaze was fixed in her direction.

The stranger’s blue eyes were wider and fuller of uncertainty than ever and her face was positively rounder as well. Still, the brunette would recognise those features anywhere. Besides, she wore a familiar, and currently too big, t-shirt.

Her gaze dropped down to Henry as she shamelessly gaped. She could not believe what she was seeing, but a quick nod from her son confirmed the madness before her eyes.

The world stopped for a moment, Regina was certain of it. She would have wanted to take a very needed deep breath, probably pinch the bridge of her nose and screw her eyes shut. She would have wanted to cry out in frustration, too. And yet, as she noticed for the first time the glass covering the floor where the children were standing, her maternal instincts took over.

“Please, step away from the glass.”

Her voice trembled with restrained anger and Henry shrunk a little. He looked at her rather sheepishly, knowing he would not get off that one easily. However, the reaction that caught Regina’s attention was the girl’s —her _sister_, she thought with a shiver. The child flinched hard and started trembling noticeably. She kept her eyes trained on the floor, but after a second, she obeyed and came closer to where the other two stood.

The brunette was tempted to throw a helpless look at her son, but she gazed at him and saw the situation was threatening to overwhelm her boy. Thus, she swallowed down her own feelings and decided not to reveal anything to the young girl for the time being.

“What’s your name, dear?”

For another long second, the redhead kept looking down. Then, she seemed to get hold of herself and gazed up, straight into Regina’s eyes.

“Zelena, ma’am,” she answered in an even voice.

For the mayor, it was harder to conceal her surprise at the moment than it had been to hide her fear moments ago. Yet, she recovered quickly and tried to smile.

“Nice to meet you, Zelena. This is my son, Henry, and I’m Regina. You seem a bit lost. What’s the last thing you remember?”

Her freckled face crumpled slightly, although it was obvious she was trying hard not to let it show. It was impressing and quite unsettling to see such a young child fighting her emotions so hard.

Regina felt a painful sting when she remembered the time Henry had tried to hide his feelings from her as well because he did not trust the Evil Queen. She shook off those thoughts promptly and forced herself to get back to the present. Zelena was trying to keep her façade on, but it was harder now.

“I... I’m not sure. I was collecting some vegetables from our garden. F— Father will be back soon, I need to go back now.”

She had been trying to talk slowly, but her last words reflected the anguish she was feeling. It took all Regina’s power not to reach out. The girl seemed skittish and she had no wish to upset her any further. At her young eyes, the short-tempered brunette was a perfect stranger.

“Zelena, dear... You’re in Storybrooke.”

She should have known better than to expect that would mean something to the child.

“Is that some place in Oz?” the ginger asked, more anxious by the minute.

“I’m afraid not. I think you’ve travelled between realms.” As distressing as that thought could be, Regina was sure telling her she was her older sister who had been the Wicked Witch back in her land would be far more traumatizing.

“What?” For a fraction of a second, she seemed to want to take back her outburst. Still, in the end, she went on bravely. “But I don’t remember... I don’t remember having done anything.”

Regina deduced she must have been referring to her magic. She knew no one had the power to travel between realms only using their magic —there was always something else involved—, but Zelena did not have to know that. Besides, she was almost positive her sister had not time travelled, merely got de-aged. Even so, she needed to offer a plausible explanation, as she refused to let her bear the burden of having done such a thing. Her mind was coming up with the stupidest theories when Henry cut in.

“That’s my fault. I was toying with something I shouldn’t have and I guess I brought you here by accident.” The girl’s eyes fixed on him at once and Regina could not decide whether the incredulity she found there was due to the thought of such powerful magic being performed by accident or to his speaking at all. Her son shifted awkwardly on the spot under her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

Zelena’s surprise grew and she looked back at the mess on the floor hesitantly.

“So, I didn’t do that? I think whatever broke slipped from my hands...”

She seemed to get nervous again as her voice became quieter. Regina was not sure she could take it, so she cut if off rather sharply.

“Don’t worry about that. And, er... Don’t worry about being here in Storybrooke, either, okay? I’ll find a way to get you back home.” Those words did not mean the same for Zelena as they did for the rest of the Mills family and Regina knew. However, she would also keep her word and it was enough to make her promise genuine.

As she looked around to decide what they should do for the time being, little Zelena found her voice again.

“I’m really sorry, but I can’t seem to get this off... It isn’t mine.”

Regina wanted to slap herself when she looked down and saw the cuff. Her mouth hung open for a moment as she tried to come up with a suitable answer. From now on, she would need to remind herself to school her features more often.

“That’s... Can I take a closer look?” she asked, hoping to gain some time.

The girl complied and extended her arm. Regina saw her other hand tighten in a fist and could not help wondering what was so threatening about her request.

She made a quick show of examining the cuff as she made up her mind. She did not want to take it off, but she could offer little explanation for leaving it on. She was not afraid of the currently young girl, but rather of the de-aging spell fading off and leaving her real, older sister with no cuff to contain her magic. A small voice in her head reminded her that things with Zelena had been rather good lately.

She sighed as she was faced with a hard dilemma. She looked down at the redhead, who looked back at her fiercely, even though her fist was still tightly closed and her whole body taut as a bowstring.

“It’s a cuff that restrains magic,” Regina explained finally, as if admitting defeat. “It can only be removed by another magical user. Do you want me to take it off?”

She was already reaching out once again when, all of a sudden, Zelena snatched her arm back.

“Does it mean I can’t do magic with it on?” she asked, cautiously.

“Exactly. Don’t you want me to take it off?” Regina asked in return, puzzled.

The ginger shook her head, until she seemed to remember something.

“I mean, I’d like to keep it if it’s not a problem.”

“It isn’t,” the mayor answered at once, not believing her luck. Surely, it would be easier to fix that mess without magical temper tantrums being thrown in the meantime.

There was an awkward silence then, unexpectedly broken by Henry. He had quietly been watching the scene unfold and the girls had almost forgotten his presence.

“It’s almost dinner time, Mom. Zelena must be hungry,” he supplied with ease.

At once, the redhead shook her head vehemently, assuring she was fine. She was cut off by Regina, who managed to reply as if eating was the real priority there.

“Of course. We can keep talking during dinner.” It silenced her sister right away and, for some odd reason, it made Regina feel worse. “I think there was some rabbit stew left in the fridge. We could warm it up. Do you like it, Zelena?”

Her blue eyes opened slightly and she nodded at once. The brunette had been expecting that answer, but the child’s mild excitement improved her mood.

“Fantastic. Why don’t you set the table while I make dinner?”

Truthfully, it was an excuse to leave Henry in charge while she made a call. She quickly swept up the glass shards at the bottom of the stairs and, then, went to the kitchen and waited. The person on the other end of the phone did not take long to answer and she did not bother with pleasantries.

“Snow,” she whispered, not wanting to risk being overheard. “I’ve got a situation.”

Her own understatement almost made her laugh. She got an immediate answer, tinged with confusion and concern.

“What kind of situation?”

“That bastard of Rumple gave Henry something —hell knows why— and now I have a ten-year-old Zelena running around the house. Well, I don’t know her exact age, but she looks about ten or eleven. And she’s not running, either, she’s actually scared stiff, hiding it behind a mask that would make my sister jealous.” Regina pinched the bridge of her noise, forcing herself to stop for a moment after having blurted out so much information. She felt like going to face Rumple right then, but she did not want to leave Zelena unsupervised so soon —let alone take her to his place. “I need you to go to the imp’s shop first thing in the morning and get a solution out of him. You can even let Charming get dramatic with his sword.”

Snow chuckled at this and Regina clutched her phone tighter without being truly aware of it.

“I will. And calm down, I can tell you’re getting anxious. Do you want me to come over now? Or would you rather wait until tomorrow? What’s the situation there?”

Following Snow’s advice, she took a deep breath before answering her questions.

“Actually, I’d prefer you don’t come tomorrow, either. I don’t want to overwhelm her so soon. She’s really wary of everything and very jumpy, but nothing I can’t handle.” For a second, she wondered whether a joke about the girl not having murdered them so far would be appropriate. Then, she remembered her soft-spoken voice and chose another way to ease Snow. “She’s not... bad.”

The younger brunette sighed on the other side.

“Okay, but if you need anything, call me. I’ll call you tomorrow morning. Hopefully, we’ll have some good news.”

“Yes, with a bit of luck I’ll have my grumpy guest back by tomorrow,” she grumbled before hanging up.

She quickly heated up the food, thankful they had something familiar to give the redhead. As the stew warmed, Regina reflected on what had happened. Her instincts had taken control and she had done what was necessary automatically, without stopping to think about the consequences the spell would bring.

Her sister had reverted back to her ten-year-old persona. What did Regina know about Zelena’s past? She already had a gift for magic when she was a child, although it was no source of pride back then. She had lost her mother, probably at a young age as she never was in the picture the scarce times Zelena had talked about her former life. The redhead had not stated it out plainly, either, but Regina could read between the lines and guessed her father had been abusive.

Her list came to an abrupt halt. The meagre information discouraged her, for she realised it was hardly enough to be sure of how to treat the child.

Yet, dinner was ready and, for the time being, nothing else could be done. So she turned off the kitchen stove and put on oven gloves to take the pot to the table.

In the dining room, Henry and Zelena were watching cartoons. Her blue eyes were wide open and fixed on the screen, and Regina observed with fondness that she was practically sitting on the edge of her seat. It was short-lived, though. Her arrival shattered the scene faster than she could ever have predicted.

As soon as her footsteps echoed in the room, Zelena jumped on her feet and came up to her, where she stood rather awkwardly and apparently unable to decide what she should do next. If Regina had not been dumbfounded, she would have rolled her eyes.

“I can do that,” the redhead stated suddenly, with a strange mixture of worry and guilt.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” was the answer Regina gave when she recovered from her confusion. When it did not put her at ease, she added, “Let’s sit down so we can eat, huh?”

The ginger hurried to comply and the brunette had to bite her tongue in order not to say anything. If she had thought she had to walk on eggshells with her sister before, it was nothing compared to her current situation.

She served the children first and could see Zelena gulping as she looked down at her plate. It brought a frown to her face, but she refrained from speaking once again. As she had told Snow earlier, she would rather not overwhelm her.

It was mostly a silent dinner where everybody had too much to think about to chitchat. Regina used that time as an opportunity to watch as well. The girl ate quickly, barely looking up. Despite her lack of positive signs, the mayor wanted to believe she was enjoying the meal —she could tell most of the time with grown-up Zelena.

All of a sudden, it occurred to her that she may not know much about her sister’s past, but she did know how she was: hard-working, hot-tempered, insecure. She liked reading and playing video games with Henry. She was a quick learner and did not reveal all the tricks up her sleeve, although she did usually boast about her known talents. Her favourite foods were rabbit stew and burgers and she enjoyed several kinds of tea and the occasional cup of coffee. Damn whoever dared say Regina did not know her own family.

In higher spirits, she finished eating. She offered another serving to the children, but they both stated they were full. She got up and Zelena hurried to do the same, picking up her plate. It was true they usually shared the housework, but she decided to make an exception at the moment. She exchanged a look with Henry before gazing at Zelena and taking the plate from her hands.

“You must be tired after what’s happened today. I’ll do the washing and, meanwhile, you and Henry can watch some more cartoons. Then, I’ll show you your room, so you can get some sleep, okay?”

The girl nodded curtly. Although she looked unconvinced, she did not speak up. Regina wondered if she had even thought before agreeing.

As she tidied up the kitchen, her worry about the girl’s behaviour sank in. It was not only shyness and yet, she did not dare think it was cowardice. Relating her sister to that concept may have been more than she could stand. The facts remained, though. The girl had asked no questions, even though she must have had hundreds of them. She just went along with whatever Regina said. And so, it was no surprise that, when she returned to the living room, she found her exactly where she should have been.

Although it had been rather useless so far, the brunette put on a kind smile as she beckoned the child to accompany her upstairs. It was as good as any other moment to try some small talk.

“Did you like dinner?”

For the first time, the mayor could see horror plainly written on her young face.

“Yes, missus, it was delicious,” she answered at once, fidgeting with her hands.

Against her will, the brunette was momentarily taken aback by her reaction. A second later, she wanted to scold herself. What had she expected? Some snippy comment in her sister’s usual derisive tone? She recovered in time to correct a tiny detail.

“I’m not married, so it would be ‘miss.’ Just Regina will do, though.”

Immediately, she saw she was utterly failing at making the child feel comfortable. The redhead started stuttering out something that sounded like an apology.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” Regina cut her off, sighing. As they reached the top of the stairs, she thought of something else to say. “How old are you? Tomorrow I’ll go to find some clothes of your size. You can’t keep wearing that big t-shirt forever.”

They had reached Zelena’s door, but she turned to the unaware owner before opening it. Her cheeks were bright red and she did not look up.

“Eleven, ma’am. But I’m all right, really. I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble. Besides, you... you’ll fix this, right? You’ll be able to send me back home.”

Saying that, she finally looked up and there was certain hope and doubt in her eyes that did not match the lack of interrogation in her last statement.

“Of course,” Regina replied firmly, “but it might take a few days. In the meantime, you’ll be staying with us, which is no trouble at all.” She mentally went over the things older Zelena kept in her bedroom, but it was only books and clothes, so she opened the door. “Let’s take a look at your room, shall we?”

She stepped aside to watch her reaction. She remembered well Zelena’s struggle to keep a blank face when she was first shown where she would be staying from then on. It had nothing to do with the girl’s reaction, though, as any mask fell apart as soon as she laid eyes on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is already written. The reason why I haven't specified a number of chapters is because it wasn't originally divided that way and I haven't decided yet how many it will have.  
Hope you liked it. I look forward to reading your thoughts about it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the amazing response to this. Not a very long chapter, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. Hope you enjoy it!

The last few hours had been awful, even if Zelena could not blame her fear on anything but the initial scare. Regina had looked positively terrifying, but she had not done anything to deserve her apprehension so far. She had neither yelled at her nor thrown her out of the house —reactions that would have been more than justified in her opinion.

In fact, she and her son had been really generous. Zelena’s mind was still working relentlessly to make sense of everything, including that. And now that she was alone at last, she just did not know what to focus on.

She looked around the room, able to appreciate it better now that she was on her own. When Regina had shown it to her earlier, she had been unable to take in every detail. She had noticed how huge it was immediately, though. She had also spotted a magic light hanging from the ceiling —they were all around the house. The nice wallpaper had not been overlooked, either. Its soft colours made her feel comfortable in a way she could not explain.

Almost of their own accord, her eyes flew to the cuff encircling her right wrist. It brought a constant sense of discomfort and, again, Regina’s offer came to mind. She thought about the magic lights and about her statement that only another magical user could remove it. Did that ‘another’ mean the brunette had magic as well? She found it difficult to believe it could be the same as hers. She repeated to herself that her uneasiness did not matter, because it was better for everyone that she wore the cuff. She refused to reflect on why she had even appeared with it on, because it was Henry who had apparently brought her there, and maybe she did not trust him, but he did not deserve her suspicion. The point was that she could not risk her magic getting out of control while she was in this place. If she messed up, she had nowhere else to go. She was relying completely on Regina to go back home.

She screwed her eyes up tightly, because her good face was crumbling. She imagined how disappointed her father would be in her —she hoped he was all right— if he saw her right then. Her fists closed around a soft fabric and she found herself out of her gloomy thoughts and looking down at the nightgown that it was not such.

After entering the room, still hardly believing it was hers for the time being, Regina had followed and given her some clothes to change into. Zelena did not know from where she had produced them, but they were nothing like the old nightwear they used back in Oz. The brunette had called them pyjamas and offered to get an actual nightgown when her bafflement had not disappeared. She had refused, though. Both shirt and trousers were made of the softest fabric she had ever touched. They were pink and had little white unicorns printed all over them. Nothing in the world could make her want to exchange them for something familiar.

The brunette had smiled at her decisive headshake. The memory made Zelena smile in her solitude, too.

She had a full belly and was sitting on what looked like a queen’s bed. She should stop pitying herself, change into the pyjamas and get into bed. She did not know at what time the sun rose was in Storybrooke, but she reckoned she had still several hours of sleep ahead of her.

As soon as she had got in bed, her eyelids seemed to weigh a ton. She thought clouds could not be any softer. After that, she could not remember thinking anything else.

Her sleep was abruptly interrupted some time later by a piercing scream. It took her a second to close her mouth and realise that she was the person crying out. She sat upright, but after that, she felt paralysed. She could barely react even when the bedroom door opened. Light from the corridor outlined a silhouette and she needed another moment to recognise Regina. What had happened was starting to dawn on her.

“I’m... I— I’m really sorry. I di— didn’t mean to wake you up,” she hurried to say at once.

She realised she was trembling uncontrollably when her voice sounded both shaky and wet. She lifted a hand to her cheeks and found she was crying as well.

Regina came closer without switching on the lights in the room and, for that, Zelena was grateful. That way, she could see neither her blushing nor her tears.

“Are you okay? I heard screaming,” the brunette asked in a soft, yet hasty voice.

The girl swallowed the lump in her throat. Although she did not understand why she had not been scolded yet, for that night she would allow herself to believe that the adult’s front was true. It had been a while since she had been so shaken up in front of someone else and her brain refused to think straight.

“It was me,” she confessed, aware of the fact that Regina already knew that. “I had a nightmare. I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”

To her surprise, the brunette came even closer and sat on the edge of the bed. Although she did not act threateningly, Zelena could not help shuffling away. It was too dark to make out the woman’s features.

“A nightmare, huh? You don’t get much of a say in those.”

The redhead’s cheeks grew hotter, because of course she knew she could not control them, but she was also too old to be having bad dreams and waking people up with her yelling.

“It’s okay, it’s nothing unusual,” Regina continued and the girl dared look up. Placid —albeit intense— brown eyes were gazing at her. “Is there anything that helps you calm down?”

“I’m fine,” she answered automatically. Once again, she was on the verge of breaking down into tears. That time, however, the reason was completely different.

“You sure?” Regina insisted, but she only got a nod. Although visibly doubtful, she complied when nothing changed. “Try to get some sleep, okay?”

Zelena nodded a second time and watched the brunette get out of the room in silence. It was a relief to be alone again and her composure finally broke down. Tears rolled down her cheeks and it was no longer within her power to stop them. She buried her face in the pillow, wishing it would be over already. Her old life had caught up with her unexpectedly.

She was frightened, she had to admit it to herself at least. Her nightmare had made her see what could happen if she remained there for much longer. Maybe her life in Oz was not perfect, but she was used to it. Uncertainty felt less than safe.

In her nightmare, despite the cuff, she had done magic by accident and an angry mob of villagers had stormed in the house. She had been alone in the living room.

It made her blood run cold to realise how completely dependent she was on the charity of a couple of strangers. It would have been easier if they had set out rules when she arrived. At the very least, they could bother to use a train of thought Zelena could actually follow. She would have expected a list of tasks to earn her keep, but they had neither asked her to do any chores nor let her when she had offered. She had been fed in addition to being given the nicest room and nightclothes she had ever seen, demanding nothing in return. Even though it felt dishonest just to think about it, she could not help wondering if there was an ulterior motive behind their behaviour.

She thought about both of them, because if there was something that puzzled her more than Regina, with her scary face and nice smiles and magic powers, it was Henry. The boy had treated her well enough while they had been alone. He had not said much, possibly because of her own lack of response, but he had not been mean, either. Zelena knew grown-ups usually hid their true feelings, but children did not care for such things and were generally braver and crueller than their parents. She was not ready to dismiss her concerns and suspicions, but she had to acknowledge Henry had offered no material to feed them.

Confusion grew, sitting heavy in her stomach. It was useless trying to think rationally. So she kept crying, as uncertainty weighed her down and her own thoughts threatened to drown her.


	3. Chapter 3

A couple of hours later, she was spent and yet, she could not bring herself to try to sleep. The thought that she could be trapped in that foreign world forever refused to go away. Besides, she kept seeing furious villagers trying to hunt her down every time she shut her eyes.

A soft ‘click’ broke her gloomy train of thought. The door was opened slowly and she stared at it apprehensively. She wished she would have reacted faster when Regina’s shape was outlined against the corridor lights. The woman’s intent gaze fell on her immediately.

“Zelena? What are you doing still awake?”

She felt stupid, knowing she should have pretended to be asleep. It was to no avail now, though. She wiped off the already dry tear tracks and shrugged, sitting up, which Regina apparently took as her cue to stride in. The redhead was too tired to feel truly fearful, but she tensed when the brunette switched on the lamp on the bedside table and sat on the bed, near her.

“Have you had another nightmare?”

The girl shook her head in silence, because embarrassment had settled in her throat and did not let her speak.

“What’s the matter, then?”

When she looked up, she found Regina’s eyes staring directly into hers. She gazed down at once and shrugged again. Her own inability to speak made the lump in her throat feel bigger.

“Do you want something to help you sleep? A glass of warm milk, maybe?”

She was being talked to like she was a child, despite _not_ being one. A couple of tears managed to escape nevertheless and she hurried to wipe them away before the woman could see them.

Regina sighed and Zelena intertwined her fingers tightly, waiting for her reaction. She wanted to be left alone, but she had not meant to try her patience.

“Do you want me to stay until you fall asleep?”

The strange question did not resemble any of the possibilities the girl had pictured. She had no choice but to look up, searching for a clue on the brunette’s face.

“No,” she blurted out without thinking as she found none.

She did not usually behave so rudely and she knew she could not have chosen a worse moment. However, Regina did not get angry. Instead, she made an odd face —something close to sadness, but as if it were directed at _her_.

Zelena had been rendered speechless by her own reply, so she failed to react when the woman sighed again and got up. She scrambled for the right words, the ones that would soothe any rightful resentment, so that they would still be nice to her in the morning.

“Wait! I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... That is, there’s no need...” she trailed off, unsure about whether she was making it better or worse.

Standing at the door, Regina turned back to her and smiled. Even if she was barely lit up by the soft glow of the lamp, Zelena could see it was a forced gesture. Her eyes gave her away, although the girl could not name just one emotion in them. She felt a sudden rush of panic at the thought of the brunette reading her as well as she did.

“It’s okay, but there has to be something we can do so you get some sleep tonight,” was the self-confident reply.

She wanted to ask why it always seemed to be a ‘we’ in her sentences, but she did not fool herself —she knew she lacked the courage to ask such a question.

“I’m fine. I just need a moment.”

Regina laughed softly, which did not excuse the fact that she was laughing at her.

“Zelena, dear, it’s 4:30am. We aren’t gonna be able to get out of bed tomorrow.”

She felt her cheeks grow hot. It was not her fault. She had not asked anyone to come and check on in her the second time.

“Sorry.” And yet, she apologised.

The brunette took a step towards her. Zelena felt exhausted and could not understand how the other woman was not equally worn out by the events of the day.

“It’s okay. I really don’t mind staying up until you fall asleep.”

As rare as Regina’s offer was —as warm as it made her feel—, the ginger did not think she could fall asleep while someone did nothing but watched her.

“I don’t think it’ll work,” she replied, cautiously.

When no answer came right away, Zelena started fidgeting with her hands.

“Okay, how about we try something else?” The redhead focused her attention on her out of politeness —it was too late to be curious. “Would you feel better if you weren’t sleeping alone? We could sleep in my bed, it’s bigger.”

Her exhaustion was forgotten for a moment and her eyes shot up to the woman. She knew her face was reflecting her absolute incredulity, but she could not help it. She wondered if she had heard correctly.

“I...” ‘Really?’ she was about to ask. In an effort to recover her composure, a question slipped from her tongue, “Why would you do that?”

“I told you, so we can actually get some sleep. I won’t be able to rest if I think you’re not sleeping,” the brunette explained softly. She accompanied her words with a genuine —albeit tiny— smile that time.

Zelena had no idea what to say. She could not even come up with a legitimate reason to refuse. And Regina insisted again, saying ‘Shall we?’ in a tone that admitted no reply but compliance.

Very slowly, the redhead put the bedcover back. Even slower, she took Regina’s hand when the woman reached out.

She followed her to her room in silence. She had been told she could come and fetch the brunette if she needed anything during the night, but she had not been there yet. That bedroom was even bigger than the one assigned to her. What anyone would need so much space for was lost to Zelena.

They walked to opposite sides of the bed and the girl realised her hands were trembling when she pulled the duvet back. She got in quickly and, almost immediately, her body curled up in a ball. She felt Regina settling in, too. The brunette switched off the lights and, after her ‘Goodnight,’ everything was quiet and dark.

Zelena curled up tighter, as the villagers’ angry voices from her dream came back in full force. Her shaking worsened and she got lost in it. It was abruptly cut off when something touched her shoulder. She would have screamed had she not covered her mouth in time.

She turned around and discovered Regina watching her quite sheepishly.

“Hey,” the brunette tried after an awkward silence, “would it help if we kept holding hands? Holding Henry always did the trick. No matter what his nightmare had been about, he’d be out within minutes.”

Zelena bit her lip in order not to gape, but her eyes widened more than it seemed possible. She did not even know what she found more surprising. The whole statement was surreal. And her increasing willingness to give in scared her out of her mind.

She did not remember it clearly, but she thought her mother had also come to her bed when she heard Zelena having a nightmare. She liked to picture the woman hugging her as she went back to sleep without further trouble. If Henry had sought comfort after a nightmare without fearing reprimand, Regina must have been a good mother, too.

Still, she was not a little girl anymore and the brunette was under no obligation to comfort her.

“I don’t think it’s right,” she confessed in a low whisper.

“Who’s going to get hurt?”

Regina’s nonchalant approach took her by surprise. The most obvious answer to that question was ‘No one.’ And yet, those two words felt oddly wrong. A sense of panic gripped her and Zelena shoved it away by forcefully ignoring the question altogether.

“Maybe it’ll help?” She did not have the slightest clue whom she was addressing in such an unconvinced tone, but Regina smiled quite brightly, as if it were a victory. And so, she finally gave in and stretched out her arm. Moments later, she could feel the gentle grasp of the brunette.

It worked, as far as Zelena could tell. Even though she had not been asleep for long, she woke up utterly relaxed and happy. The sun had yet to rise completely, but Regina’s hand felt warm in her own. She felt a sudden weight drop in the pit of her stomach at the thought of letting it go. She should, though. The brunette had been incredibly good to her and it was time she showed she could actually return the favour.

She started to get out of bed stealthily, but when her fingers tried to slip off, the grip tightened for a moment and it stopped Zelena in her tracks. It relaxed almost at once, though.

“Go back to sleep. It’s too early,” a drowsy voice said as brown eyes remained closed.

There was a small pause as the girl hesitated.

“It’s okay. I can start making breakfast, so it’s ready when you and Henry get up,” she whispered, the peace of just seconds ago already shattered.

At that, one brown eye opened lazily.

“Are you hungry?”

Zelena’s blood rushed to her cheeks right away.

“No, no, of course not.” She was mortified that Regina would assume that. “I want to... To thank you...”

The brunette shifted a little, probably looking for a more comfortable position. She kept holding her hand, though.

“It’s very early. Let’s sleep for a little longer, okay?”

The redhead knew she was being a nuisance again, but she could not stand the thought of being considered useless. Annoying tears welled up in her eyes suddenly as she felt more and more upset.

“I don’t mind, really,” she replied, trying to keep her composure. “I can figure it out, you don’t have to get up.”

“Hey, calm down,” Regina cut her off firmly. The change in her mood caught Zelena off guard. “If you want to thank me, you don’t have to do anything for me in return. I guess the actual words would be nice, but that’s it. So we’re going to stay in bed, try to catch some more sleep and get up when the sun’s actually up and it’s not dark. Then, we’ll make breakfast together if that’s what you want. All right?”

There was no immediate reaction on the girl’s part, as she had been stunned into silence. Even though she had been on the verge of tears before, she had never felt more vulnerable than at that moment.

She doubted whether she had just been severely scolded. By the curt tone and words, she could very well have been. Yet, Regina had not raised her voice and did not look angry. Besides, she kept her fingers intertwined with Zelena’s.

There was something about which the redhead did feel rightfully told off, though. She nodded and, then, uttered two words, barely daring speak them out loud at all.

“Thank you.”

It was said in the lowest of voices, not because the words were not heartfelt, but because she was extremely embarrassed. She had owed Regina those words ever since she had imposed on her. And yet, she had not thought of saying them. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she had not been able to express the simplest gratitude.

She started to slip out of the brunette’s hold. She was determined not to bother Regina any longer. She would go to her bedroom and wait there. However, the woman did not seem to agree with her unspoken plan.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, tightening her grip slightly. “Now, we can go back to sleep.” She loosened it again, as if she had made her point.

Zelena was paralysed, unable to understand a thing. Although she could have slipped off easily had she wanted to, she did not move. In the end, she decided to ignore her thoughts and focus on Regina’s apparently nonchalant words instead.

She did not manage to fall asleep again. Although she did doze at some points, she was vaguely aware of the time passing. She had never experienced staying in bed after the sun was up in the sky and she found she enjoyed it. It might have been because she was drained from the previous night, but it felt safe and relaxing all at once.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, I've posted about a third of the fic. Now you can get an idea of its length even if I don't know the definite chapter count yet. =)

When Regina woke up once again, it was apparent that they were both feeling more like themselves. They went downstairs while Henry was still asleep. In the kitchen, the brunette made orange juice for the two of them. Zelena would have liked to help, but she merely watched how everything worked. She had been willing to try the strange appliances on her own, but she shied away then, reckoning it might be better to learn beforehand.

As they drank their juice, she noticed that not once did Regina tore her eyes away from her. She tried to avoid dwelling on what could be crossing the woman’s mind.

“So, what do you usually have for breakfast in Oz?”

The question startled her, but not enough to make her react. She was only frozen for a second before she shrugged it off. She did not understand how that information could be relevant. Stubbornly, she refused to look up, as it was unlikely Regina’s face would offer answers to her own questions. Instead, she fixed her blue gaze on her already empty glass.

“Can you tell me at least if you’d like hot cocoa? Or do you prefer a glass of milk?”

The brunette sounded annoyed and, if Zelena had not been completely focused on her questioning, she would have cowered. Her eyes looked up of their own accord and the truth slipped off her tongue.

“I don’t understand.”

She was a little afraid of the possible reaction that would follow her admission, but Regina did not laugh at her ignorance. She did not even look surprised by her words.

“In this realm, it’s customary for children to have a hot chocolate milk beverage or just a glass of milk for breakfast, besides some toast, cereals or pancakes. We’re going to make pancakes, although I’ll show you the other stuff if you don’t like them.” Zelena followed her explanation dumbfounded, so she was hardly any readier to answer properly when she was asked again. “So, what’s going to be? Cocoa?”

“Can I... Can I really have cocoa?” she asked quietly. She did not know what pancakes were, but chocolate was rare and expensive —as were all sweets, for that matter.

Her caution seemed to amuse Regina, who rolled her eyes and smirked. However, when she replied “Of course,” she sounded neither unkind nor exasperated. The redhead had to admit she was puzzled by the woman. It seemed impossible to read her correctly all the time, a skill she prided herself on, especially when she dealt with adults.

Even though she could not possibly be of help, the brunette started guiding her through the making of breakfast when she realised the girl would not look away from her. They were midway through when Henry showed up. He kissed his mother at the time he said “Good morning” and Zelena muttered it back in an attempt not to be rude.

To her dismay, the boy did not stop there. He tried to keep the conversation going, despite the redhead’s curt answers. He started by asking what she would like to do next. When the topic was not successful, he switched to what she liked to do back home. She was at a loss for words. She tried to remain indifferent, even though she was painfully aware that her hosts were probably less than pleased with her awkward behaviour.

As Regina took control over their chat, Zelena could finally sit back and listen to them. She did not dare make eye contact yet —she barely dared move. Despite the delicious treat that was breakfast, she felt a weight in her stomach that did not let her eat any more. She would have liked to excuse herself, but she had no clue how to go about that.

At last, the excruciating situation came to an end. She forced herself to look up when chairs scratched the floor and cutlery clinked. Trying to suppress a flinch, she hastily got on her feet, too. From the expressions on their faces, she knew that, unfortunately, her panic had not gone unnoticed. She felt her face grow hot and decided to put an end to her pitiful behaviour.

“I can do the dishes.”

For once, it was them who startled. Her steady voice was surely the last thing they were expecting to hear. Regina recovered so fast that it made the girl jealous, though.

“Don’t worry, dear. I’ll take care of it.”

“I don’t mind, truly,” she insisted, as if the mere thought of antagonizing the brunette in any way did not frighten her to death.

Regina sighed and smiled a little as she turned away from the sink to face her completely. The redhead could not decipher her smile —it was soft, definitely real, but its owner looked neither quite happy nor quite sad.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you take Zelena to the living room and show her some video games? I’m sure she’ll enjoy that.”

The girl barely registered her plate being taken from her. She was paralysed by those words that she was unable to fully understand. Still, she was convinced that she had messed it up and landed herself in an even worse situation. Regina had got tired of her, thus forcing the boy to take her on. What on earth a video game was could not matter less.

Henry put on a smile and led her out of the kitchen. His expression did seem honest enough, but it could not fool her when she had seen the dubious look he had sent in his mother’s direction upon hearing her suggestion. In any case, she had no choice but to follow him —she had been right when the previous night she had come to the conclusion that she was utterly at their mercy.

They walked up to the couch. For a moment, she entertained the thought of going upstairs and getting out of their way for a while. Yet, before she could voice it, Henry had turned on the television. The device showed moving, talking pictures and Zelena could not help being fascinated by it. It was easy to love that sort of magic.

There was something different about the images on the screen that time, though. The music was strange, too, high-pitched and with a simple, repetitive rhythm. The boy came to her, holding out a black device that was strangely shaped. She hesitated, but he refused to back down. And so, she was forced to accept it.

She looked at it intently, trying to figure it out. Lost in thought as she was, Henry made her jump slightly when he unexpectedly plopped down next to her. She was still ill at ease with their obvious disregard for keeping a safe distance from her.

Trying to shake off those sombre thoughts, she focused on his hands. He was holding an identical device and she realised he actually looked more comfortable than in their previous encounters.

“Here, you hold it that way,” he said right away. Carelessly, he manipulated her hands into the right position.

Zelena was frozen by his actions. Suddenly, she could no longer remember why she had thought Henry would be resentful towards her.

“It’s a game,” he explained when she continued staring down at her hands. “Do you see the characters on the screen?”

She gazed up and nodded.

“Okay. One of them is gonna be your player. You control it by pressing the buttons on your controller.”

His earnest explanation sounded odd, but she decided it was worth a try before discarding it. They were going to race, he said. It was a simple game and he quickly showed her how exactly each button worked.

“Your player’s the one that says ‘Baby Daisy.’ Do you like it?”

Time seemed to slow down as Zelena processed the question and tried to answer. Her cheeks burnt once more and she put down the controller gently.

“I can’t read,” she muttered, so low that she would not have been surprised if Henry had not heard her. He did, though, and handed her back the controller with no hesitation.

“Oh, well, it’s the cute one with red hair.”

He did sound a little shocked, but when the ginger peeked at him, he was not looking at her differently from before. Yet, she still felt doubtful and it must have shown, because he sent an encouraging smile in her direction.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to read in order to play. Just try to beat the rest of us.”

At his cheeky grin, a small smile appeared on Zelena’s face.

“Okay.”

When Henry shouted ‘Go!’ she tried to speed up... with very poor results. Although it was of no consequence, as she soon found out the boy’s comments were the best part of the game. He offered useful tricks every so often as well. They played for a while and she got slightly better race after race.

She did not actually realised how invested she had become in the game until the clicking of high heels broke through their harmony. Suddenly worried about having escaped the world for a while, the redhead tore her eyes away from the screen and turned her head back. Henry paused the game and focused his gaze on Regina, too.

“I need to go shopping for a bit. Will you two be all right?” she asked them.

“Of course. Don’t worry, Mom,” her son replied promptly.

A few hours ago, Zelena would have hesitated to match his confidence, but the moments they had just spent together had given her a measure of assurance. Thus, when inquiring brown eyes turned to her, she nodded without thinking. It seemed to relax Regina, who said goodbye and promised not to take long.

“Do you want to keep going?” Henry asked the redhead when they were alone again, pointing at the television.

“Only if you want,” was her guarded answer. She had no problem restraining her excitement in case he did not, but he was happy to continue playing.

For some reason, Zelena felt like breaking the silence shortly after.

“Thank you...” She thought twice about finishing the sentence with ‘for playing with me’ and changed it before the pause stretched too long, “... for teaching me how to play.”

Her cheeks became red, but her embarrassment was mild bashfulness rather than burning shame.

“No problem. I really like playing video games. I also like reading,” he added, after hesitating for a second. “What do you like to do?”

He had gathered up his courage to ask again, choosing to ignore his previously unsuccessful attempts, and she allowed herself time to think about it without panicking. She did not usually have a lot of free time to ponder that sort of questions.

“I like going to the forest,” she confessed finally, doubt creeping in her voice.

“That’s cool,” replied the boy with ease. “Here in Storybrooke we have a wishing well in the forest.”

Zelena’s eyes lit up upon learning that piece of information. She had heard of such things, but had never seen any with her own eyes.

“I’d love to visit it!”

No sooner had she let herself get carried away than her hopes were suddenly crushed by Henry’s hesitating reply.

“Oh... I don’t know if that’ll be possible. I’ll have to ask Mom.”

Her enthusiasm deflated at once, but she tried not to let it show when she spoke.

“Of course. It’s all right, I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

The boy cringed at her words and she wondered what she could possibly have said to provoke such reaction.

“It’s not that. We’d be very happy to take you there, but uh... Strangers aren’t that common in Storybrooke.”

The redhead could not conceal her bafflement at his odd reasoning, but she quickly forced herself to nod and put on a neutral face. It was not her business to mind. Moreover, the suspicion that her magic could be the root of the problem loomed too closely.

She did not want to end their conversation on that note, though, so she changed the topic.

“I really appreciate what you’re both doing for me. You’ve been very good to me,” she managed to utter in an increasingly quiet voice.

Henry looked at her. The game had been forgotten at some point earlier, but it did not seem to bother him. Still, there were no grins that time.

“It’s the least we can do. You must miss your home a lot. I’m sorry you... got caught in all this. Are you really okay, though? Are you enjoying video games? The food?”

A quick smile showed up on Zelena’s face at his sincere worry. She nodded, hopping to reassure him.

“Yes, thank you. You’re being really thoughtful.” She smiled wider as she looked around. “You have such a beautiful home.”

“Thanks.” She was even happier to see that his grin had returned. “Mom’s the mayor, so...”

“What’s a mayor?” she asked promptly.

“Oh. Um... She’s like the leader of the town.”

Blue eyes went wide open. She had not been expecting that. At the same time, it fit Regina.

“Wow. She does seem pretty powerful,” she said, failing to hide her huge admiration for the woman.

“Yeah, she is.” Henry was clearly proud of his mother. “Don’t worry, she’ll be able to fix this.”

She wanted to believe him badly. And, perhaps, she was starting to. For the first time, she felt like there was a real chance she could trust his hopeful words.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid I might not be able to update for a couple of weeks. So, a long chapter to make up for it. Thanks for reading!

Less than an hour later, Regina was back, carrying a couple of bags with her. At Henry’s question, she said they contained clothes for Zelena. The latter had no clue how to feel about that answer. She had forgotten she needed new garments, stupid as it may have sounded. There was barely time to react anyway. When the brunette told her to follow her upstairs, she just got up and did so, forcing herself not to send a desperate, pleading look in the boy’s direction.

As they were about to reach the top, the girl finally found her voice.

“Regina...” It was the first time she called her by her given name and hesitation was clearly present in the word. “I don’t really need so many clothes.”

The mayor turned to her, stopping in her tracks for a second. Her hand lifted slightly, but it was burdened by a shopping bag and, in the end, she dropped it noncommittally.

“It’s okay, I wanted to buy them. Come on, I want you to try on some of these to see if they fit.”

They went to her bedroom while Zelena kept trying to understand the situation. It was obvious Regina was rich, despite the apparent lack of servants. However, there was no practical reason to purchase so many items for a perfect stranger. She knew she could not wear nightclothes forever, but one change of clothes would have been enough.

She did not know what else to say, so she just watched the brunette put down the bags on her bed. Her blue eyes followed every move until the woman decided to break the silence.

“Why don’t you take a shower before trying them on?”

Zelena could not refuse such an offer and she thanked her without a second thought.

“Come, I’ll show you how the shower works.”

They went to the bathroom, which still amazed the girl. She had already been told how the toilet worked the previous night. She had thought water came out of the blue because of magic. She did not know where water was coming from yet, but she wondered whether the bathroom would also work thanks to technology. Henry had explained that all the lights and the television ran on electricity and it was all thanks to technology.

Regina turned on a tap in the shower, somewhat similar to those in the kitchen. Yet, water came out of another device. Unfazed, the brunette said water temperature changed depending on towards what side one turned the tap. Zelena was astonished and could not help reaching out, deeming the woman would not mind. Indeed, water came out pleasantly warm. Right away, she took her hand back as she looked up with shock written all over her face. She had been told what would happen and yet, she could not quite believe her own eyes —and hands.

Regina smiled and turned off the tap. She gave her a fluffy towel that was too big to be just for drying hands. Apparently, her thoughts were utterly transparent.

“You can use this after drying yourself to go to your room. I’ll draw back the curtains, so you can try on your clothes there.”

“Thank you,” she answered as she nodded and took the towel.

At the door, the brunette turned back and looked at her, a sudden faint hint of worry showing up in her warm brown eyes.

“If you need anything, just give me a shout.”

The girl nodded again, confidently, hoping to reassure whatever fears the woman harboured. Regina smiled again, a bit tense, and left closing the door after her.

For a moment, Zelena just stood there, in the pristine white bathroom, barefoot and with a purple towel in her hands. She allowed herself those few seconds to take in what had just happened. Before getting overwhelmed, though, she put down the towel and started to undress.

Not bothering to hide her enthusiasm, she practically jumped in the shower. She turned on the tap as Regina had instructed and let cold water fell on her feet. Progressively, it became warmer. However, it got too hot too fast and the ginger, having just kneeled, jumped on her feet hardly biting back a yell. She hurried to turn the tap the other way and it took her a while to find the perfect temperature.

She tried not to take too long, but Regina’s shampoo and shower gel smelt really good. She indulged herself for a couple of minutes, playing with the abundant foam. Rinsing her curls was an incredibly easy task with the shower head and she regretfully felt it was time to get out. She dried her hair with the towel and brushed it while it was still a bit wet.

She had been feeling slightly tired every time her mind had had a moment to stop and think, but now she was dizzy. It was not too bad, nothing she would not have felt after spending a whole morning without eating. Yet, it worried her, because she had eaten well only a few hours ago. She thought it might be the steam —she was not accustomed to such a hot environment.

She wrapped the towel around her body and got to the corridor. She peeked cautiously, but there was no one, so she hurried to her bedroom. Sunlight was dimmed because of the closed curtains, but she could still see. She closed the door and went to her bed, where the bags had disappeared and in their place the clothes rested neatly folded in piles according to the sort of item they were.

Colours were bright and the patterns were diverse. She had never seen anything like it before. And it was for her. It was _hers_.

She unfolded the closest item, revealing a green dress. She admired it for a moment before swiftly removing the towel and putting on the underwear Regina had also brought. She thought she would burst at her eagerness to try on the dress.

It was her fault when the brunette knocked some time later and the green dress was still the only thing she had tried on. She had just been absorbed by her reflection on the mirror. Truthfully, she had never felt more beautiful and she had wanted to enjoy it.

“Zelena, dear, how are you doing?” a voice called from the other side.

She got off the bed at once, because she had the feeling she should not stand on it. She could hardly see her face on the mirror otherwise, though. Then, she ran to open the door.

“They’re beautiful,” was the first thing she exclaimed. The brunette looked slightly taken aback, but pleased all the same.

“I’m glad,” she said. “Lunch is ready. Do you want to wear that?”

“Do you like it?” asked the redhead bluntly, paying close attention to the woman’s face expressions.

“Of course I do. You l—” she stopped mid-sentence and frowned. Then, she crouched down, so that their faces were at the same level. “Are you okay? You actually look awfully pale.”

Zelena wished to back down, but she stood her ground. Regina already seemed too worried.

“I am. Just a little dizzy. It’ll go away. It doesn’t matter.”

Without warning, the brunette raised a hand to her face and the girl felt her legs moving faster than her brain. She took a step back, briefly putting herself out of the other’s reach. Zelena caught up with her own actions within a second, but the dark eyes had hardened before she could think of anything to say that would justify her behaviour. Part of her was still focused on the frantic, deafening sound of her own heartbeat.

“May I check if you have a fever?”

Regina broke their awkwardly mutual and silent staring after some long seconds. Her voice was soft and, although her face was still a bit strained, it calmed the redhead down enough to react. She nodded curtly, but found out she could not bring herself to step forward. Even after forcing her legs to move, she practically remained on the same spot.

The brunette did not seem upset at her inaction, though. Very gently, she moved closer and put a hand on Zelena’s paler forehead. As she took her hand back, she caressed the freckled cheeks for the briefest of moments. Immediately, the ginger found herself longing for that touch again.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” whispered Regina and, before any reply could be uttered, she kept on. “You don’t have a temperature, but you do seem to have broken out in a cold sweat. How long have you been feeling like that?”

The girl froze, still torn between fear and shock. She almost said ‘Just a few minutes,’ but she knew it was not true. It had become worse in the last few minutes, but a similar sensation had been present for her entire stay at the mansion. It was likely because of the magic travel between realms.

“Since I arrived here,” she finally confessed in a whisper.

She felt exhausted all of a sudden and she did not want to look up. Her excitement was long forgotten —it had faded away as fast as it had arrived.

She missed Regina’s frown deepening and her own face being studied intently. She missed brown eyes lightening with realisation when they looked down and stumbled upon something else.

“Zelena, give me your right hand, please.”

The unexpected request made her glance up, startled. She hesitated, but the woman kept her own hand outstretched, so she had no option but to comply.

Slowly, Regina’s fingers surrounded her slender wrist and she understood. The cuff was not hers, but she had to try one last time.

“Are you sure?” she asked before it could be taken off.

“Of course.”

The brunette’s confident response indicated she did not truly know what she was agreeing to.

“I can’t... I can’t control it. My magic. It’s dangerous.” She had meant to say ‘I’m dangerous,’ but her throat closed off and there was only silence. She remained rooted to the spot, waiting for Regina’s reaction —that is, waiting for her beautiful dream to end.

Her lip quivered despite her best efforts as an already familiar fire showed up in the brown eyes.

“I’m not going to let this cuff keep hurting you under any circumstance, so even if that were true and your magic was dangerous, I’d still take it off. Your magic’s not, though. If an accident happens, we’ll fix it, but you aren’t going to hurt anybody. I trust you.”

Zelena was rendered speechless —not that anyone waited for her to start talking anyway. Regina removed the cuff without further ceremony and the redhead felt it at once. She took a deep breath straight away, since all of a sudden she was painfully aware that she had been longing to breathe. There was something new in the air. Although she could not put her finger on what, it felt like life. Her dizziness had gone away and she felt as if a veil had been lifted.

She met brown eyes as she looked up. She did not know the words she should utter, let alone identify everything she was feeling at the moment.

“I’ll try to keep it under control.”

Another person —she could see his face— would have scoffed at her feeble promise, but Regina’s eyes became sadder. The mayor opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off.

“Mom? Are you two coming?”

Regina sighed and, for a second, she looked exhausted, too. Then, she stood up straight and smiled, brightening up a little.

“Shall we?”

Zelena was curious about what she had been about to say, but she forgot about it quickly as they headed down.

Like the other meals, lunch did not let her down. It was even more pleasant that time, because she felt at ease and full of energy now that the cuff was gone. She listened closely when Henry talked about what they did at school. He had also started to tell her about his mother’s job —how she practically controlled everything— to the brunette’s embarrassment. The gentle teasing and chuckles had been a nice experience at the table.

They had almost finished eating when a strange sound interrupted them. Zelena noticed both she and Regina jumped at it, which felt somewhat reassuring in an odd way. The brunette excused herself and left the table, stopping to pick up a small lit up device.

“It’s her phone. It’s for talking to people.”

“Is that also technology?” she asked, amazed. Henry liked answering her questions and she had learnt to take every available opportunity.

He nodded and they began to carry the plates to the kitchen. Zelena followed his lead and put what she had in the sink. He started to wash the dishes and she was left to wonder whether she should speak up or not. Fortunately, it did not take long for him to notice her face and, after a moment of hesitation, he pointed at a cloth.

“Do you want to dry them?”

Glad to have something to do other than stare, she stepped forward and took the glass Henry was already handing out.

They were done by the time Regina came back. She observed them from the doorframe with a look that made Zelena’s cheeks burn for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that the brunette was looking at her son and her in the same way.

“Everything okay, Mom?”

“Yes, honey, don’t worry. I think I’ll need to work for the afternoon, though. I’ll be in my office if you need anything, okay?”

Henry was not joking when he said his mother was often busy. And yet, it was not difficult to see that he meant the world for her. The redhead envied her self-confidence, the way she had to make other people believe she could put up with anything that was thrown at her. Yet, it was how she looked at her son what left the greatest feeling of longing inside the child.

She accompanied the boy to the living room, wondering whether they would play video games again. Henry busied himself with taking things out of a bag and putting them on the table, though.

“I have some homework to do.” She nodded, hiding her disappointment. She was aware of the importance of performing well at school, more so because she had never had the opportunity to attend. “Would you like to draw in the meantime?”

Her surprise did show up on her face. Her blue eyes widened slightly and she shrugged stiffly. She was unsure of what her answer should be. She hardly drew enough to know how well she did it.

“Come on. I bet you don’t have these coloured pencils in Oz.”

Not waiting for her response, he handed out a handful of bright coloured pencils. She came closer to the table, observing them cautiously. He pushed some paper towards her and she felt herself giving in immediately.

She sat down and decided to pick up first an orange pencil. There were several sheets of paper, so she guessed Henry did not mind her wasting them.

Soon, she was engrossed in her drawing, trying to use all the colours she had. It took her a while to finish and, in the process, she found out she enjoyed the feeling of working alongside someone. She took in her completed creation a bit incredulously. She had done _that_. The boy must have noticed her expression, because he broke the silence to ask,

“Have you finished?”

She looked up, not having noted his eyes on her. She gave him a reluctant nod.

“Can I see it?” he asked cheerfully.

She swallowed, at once finding it difficult to move. Her eyes went down to where her drawing was resting. Suddenly, she was not so happy about it. It surely had nice colours, but shapes were far from what she had envisioned. It was clear she did not enjoy the opportunity to draw often and lacked enough skill for it. Still, she could not come up with a reason to refuse his request. It took all her strength to move her limbs and hand over the piece of paper.

She waited for his reaction with bated breath. She was ready to keep a blank face whatever the outcome. It did not take long.

“Wow, it’s very pretty. I didn’t know you could draw so well.”

Despite her efforts, her face faltered a little. She had not steeled herself for compliments. She fixed her eyes on him, dubious. However, both his face and his voice seemed genuine.

“It’s not... I don’t draw a lot. I can’t be that good,” she replied quietly.

“Sure it is,” Henry replied without animosity. “You should show it to Mom.”

Zelena’s face lost all its colour right away. She was at a loss for words and, when she finally recovered, her voice was high-pitched.

“No, no. I can’t do that. She said she had things to do.”

“She’s been locked up in her office long enough. I’m sure she won’t mind the interruption. What better excuse to make her take a break than show her your drawing?”

She kept shaking her head forcefully for a few seconds longer, but nothing seemed to deter his belief.

“I know Mom can seem scary, but I promise she won’t get angry.”

She wanted to ask why. Why it was so unthinkable for him that someone would get angry at her.

She thought she was beginning to trust the boy —so far, he had done nothing against her. And, likely, he knew his mother enough to guess her reaction. Yet, a significant part of Zelena was afraid he was setting out a trap for her. Since he did not seem about to give up, she resigned herself to find it out the hard way.

She got up and left the living room. Her courage almost abandoned her when she reached the office. The door was ajar and she stood there for a moment.

Regina was sitting behind a huge wooden desk, which was almost completely covered by old books. She was focused on writing something down as she consulted one of the books and did not notice the girl staring right at her. Her face was deadly serious and Zelena gulped, hesitating for a little while longer. The only thing stopping her from turning around and running away was the thought of Henry considering her a coward. And so, she gathered up her courage and knocked to announce her presence. Right away, the woman looked up and the redhead felt her bravery deflating swiftly.

“I’ve finished a drawing. Henry thought you’d like to see.” To her, her tentative whisper sounded utterly pathetic.

Regina smiled almost straight away and the girl wished she could sit down as relief invaded her. Still, she expected to be dismissed, to be told the mayor was too busy for her nonsense. Therefore, the same request took her by surprise twice.

“Yeah? Let me see?”

In an effort not to let her shock show, she nodded vigorously. She put on her brave face once more and came closer. She barely had time to brace herself, because Regina’s reaction did not make itself wait when the redhead handed out the picture.

“How beautiful, dear. It has really nice colours.”

Zelena felt her face lit up at the compliment. Heat was creeping up her cheeks as well, but she let a bright smile show to keep her embarrassment at bay.

“Thank you. It’s the landscape I see from my home,” she explained. In spite of her obvious shyness, she was able to hold the brunette’s gaze.

“I like it very much,” assured the woman, having another look at it.

“You can keep it if you want,” the girl offered without a second thought. She did not regret it, though. Their appreciation had made her feel warmer than their food or blankets. She wanted to give them something in return, even if they would not accept anything but a trivial picture.

Brown eyes widened slightly and Regina looked as if she were having trouble finding the right words.

“Oh. Well, thank you very much. I’ll treasure it.”

Those words swelled her heart even more. She nodded, not knowing what else to do. She was about to leave the room when the brunette spoke again.

“I don’t know if Henry’s already told you, but he has a lot of comic books. Feel free to borrow some if you get tired of drawing.”

Zelena caught herself before uttering a lie she would probably regret later.

“I— I don’t... I can’t read,” she whispered, half turned away from the mayor. She steeled herself before facing her. She wanted to see her reaction.

Telling Henry was one thing. The boy was more or less her age and barely posed a threat. His mother, on the other hand, was powerful and the redhead respected her. The girl was immediately embarrassed about her display of ignorance, but could not take it back. She swallowed down a sudden wish to cry. It was overwhelming, though, and she realised she could not bite back the tears for much longer. Fortunately, Regina’s reaction was swift, reminding Zelena of Henry’s.

“Oh, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m all right,” she murmured, looking down at her fluffy slippers. Regina had bought a pair of smart shoes, but they had been too rigid. She focused on that little comfort and tried not to think that her choked voice gave away her real feelings.

“I guess it’s drawing for now, then.” She truly appreciated the effort the woman made in smiling. “Don’t worry, I’ll be out there in a short while. You can help me with dinner. We wouldn’t want you to get bored.”

“It’s okay.” Her voice was firmer that time. She was also able to bring herself to look into brown eyes. “Drawing’s okay.”

Finally back in the living room, she was still marvelled at Regina’s reaction. She had not sounded anywhere near disappointed and Zelena was having a hard time accepting it.

Henry had started keeping his things back in his school bag. At her question, he said he had to take a shower.

“I’ve left my markers out, in case you want to try them,” he added.

“What’s a marker?” she asked right away, full of curiosity.

He uncapped an object similar to a coloured pencil, but thicker, and handed it out to her. After a slight hesitation, she took it.

“It’s also for painting. What did Mom say about your picture, by the way?”

“It smells funny,” the girl breathed, forgetting about it a moment later to answer his question. “She said she liked it. She even kept it,” she confessed, not quite believing it yet.

The boy smiled and settled the bag on his shoulders.

“Don’t worry about the smell, it isn’t bad. You’ll get used to it. And I knew she would.”

By the time she was alone, she had already decided what she wanted to paint next. She sat down and uncapped another marker, picturing how she imagined the Wizard’s palace to be and trying to come up with as many details as possible.

She had barely advanced in her drawing when the red cap got stuck. She pulled harder, but it was not coming off. She held it between her legs in order to pull with both hands. She applied so much force that the cap flew off and the marker slipped between her fingers. She hurried to catch it and, all of a sudden, she was on her feet, holding the uncapped marker between her hands and her body. Almost at once, she realised her mistake.

She took the marker away from her body immediately. And yet, it was too late. Her palms were not the only thing stained —her new dress was, too.

She stared down in horror for what felt like minutes. When she moved again, she could just put down the marker slowly. Her eyes began to flood with tears, but she did not bother to wipe them off. The only thought in her mind was ‘Fix it.’

Their hospitality had been beyond kind, but if Regina found out she had managed to ruin the garment on the first day she wore it, she would get angry for sure. Her clumsiness would not only take away the permission to draw. The brunette would finally understand Zelena did not deserve gifts or warm gestures. A sob escaped her lips when she thought she might get thrown out of the house as well.

She focused on racking her brain looking for a solution. She did not know where they went to wash their clothes. She would have tried the shower, but Henry was there. His mother was close and could show up at any moment, so she needed to hurry.

The redhead went to the kitchen, the only other place where she could wash anything. She took off her dress, not feeling the cold that bit her bare arms at once. Her shaking worsened when she looked at the dark stain in the beautiful fabric. She just allowed herself that tiny moment, though. Then, she put it in the sink and turned on the tap. The water was even colder than her hands. Her face, however, was very hot and her tears threatened to burn her.

In the absence of solid soap, she used a bottle with gel that was used to do the dishes. She scrubbed with urgency and the vigorous moves did not let her fingers go completely numb. The stain remained as it was, though. In her eyes, it actually seemed to become even bigger, which she knew was impossible.

At that point, the tears that had been held back for the most part fell down unrestrained. She would give anything for that mess to fix itself.

The girl heard footsteps behind her and felt her mind go numb. She did not need to turn around to know it was no fairy godmother appearing to make her wish come true.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the narration feels a little rough around the edges. I've looked over it, but since I'm feeling a bit under the weather —this was the only mildly productive thing I felt like doing today, to be honest—, I don't know how many mistakes I've managed to catch. Feel free to point out anything that doesn't sound right.

Regina was going to pour a glass of cider for herself before dinner without any shame. After having talked to Snow and looked up in her magic books for hours, she had to admit defeat and agree with Rumple: the spell would wear off on its own eventually. The imp did not know —or want to share— when that would be. In any case, frustration would wreck her if she gave it the chance. A glass of cider could not do much damage in her situation.

She peeked in the living room, but neither of the children was there. She assumed they had gone upstairs, until she got closer to the kitchen and heard water running. The spectacle she saw there only increased her puzzlement.

Zelena stood on a chair, only wearing tights and an underwear t-shirt. She seemed to be washing something in the sink, but she froze as soon as the brunette came in.

There was a pause when neither of them dared move. Then, Regina managed to shake off her shock and stepped forward. The sound of her footsteps seemed to impel the girl to move, too, as she finally turned around. In her hands there was a green garment, darkened by water, and Regina guessed it was the dress she had been wearing that morning.

“What’s happened?” She could hardly keep fear out of her voice, because it was the first time she saw the girl crying.

Zelena’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. At some point, the brunette had stopped walking without even realising, so she took a tentative step forward. She had no idea what she would say, she only wanted to get closer. It was a mistake she did not see coming, perhaps because she was completely focused on her distressed sister.

Blue eyes opened wider in panic and long before Regina could touch her, the woman felt a force pushing her backwards. It was nothing like the power her adult sister had, but she was not expecting to fight any magic at all. She stumbled back, eventually failing in her attempt to keep her balance. Her back hit the table, leaving her momentarily breathless.

After a few seconds of trying to recover from the pain and the shock, Regina gazed up and found the scene utterly heartbreaking. Half the dress hung out of the sink, dripping water on the floor. The chair was empty now and she found the ginger backed up against a corner. She saw her clear eyes full of terror because of what had happened. Attempting to make that look disappear from her young face, the mayor forced her body to sit up despite the soreness.

Seeing the brunette move did not calm down the girl. If Zelena could have vanished at that very moment, Regina was sure she would have. The redhead could not press herself any further against the wall, but she tried to anyway. Her mouth still hung open, but words seemed to have left her, as no sound tried to escape her lips.

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” Regina assured her with a strained smile. “Do you hear me, Zelena? I’m okay.”

Those lines finally got a reaction out of her, but it was nothing the brunette could have expected. Her de-aged sister, who had no longer been crying, seemed to come out of her shock and started sobbing again. Feeling her heart tear, Regina attempted to come closer once more, slowly that time, and stopped when Zelena was still out of her reach. Then, she crouched down, ignoring her hurting back.

“Look at me, please. I won’t come closer if you don’t want me to. I’m all right, though. Look at me. It was an accident and I’m okay.”

The redhead did not gaze up immediately, but in the end she met eager brown eyes. As she was stared at intently, Regina had time to see how hard the girl tried to hold back her tears. When she seemed to make sure she had been told the truth, her gaze turned desperate. The feeling was also reflected on her voice when she spoke at last.

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Regina repeated firmly. “Come here?” she added after a slight hesitation.

She reached out and Zelena looked down at her hand while tears kept falling from her eyes silently. Then, she looked at her own hands, which were clasped tightly in front of her. Those quiet seconds were extremely painful, but the brunette did not dare insist.

“I’m sorry,” whispered the girl again and she did not move. “Please...”

Regina would rather not guess what she was begging for.

“It was an accident, I’m not angry. I’m not going to hurt you.” She paused because she needed to take a deep breath if she wanted to keep her own voice steady. “Remember what I said? If this ever happened, we’d take care of it together.”

The girl appeared to be rooted to the spot, words seemingly failing to get through to her. That is, until she gazed up. She met brown eyes as her blue ones were shining with tears and doubts equally. She took a step forward. Then, another. She reached out and, timidly, touched Regina’s fingers, not quite gripping them.

The redhead still looked in need of comfort, though. Regina did not want to spook her, but she could see that clearly. Praying she was reading it right, she beckoned her closer gently. When they hugged, the brunette only needed a couple of seconds to know she had been right —exactly the time that took Zelena to overcome her doubts and hug her back.

Rather than just embrace her, the girl clung to her with utter desperation. Regina thought she heard more mumbled apologies, but she could not be sure, because Zelena was sobbing without restraint. The only reassurance the woman could offer was to hug her tighter.

She let out a soft, silent sigh as she closed her eyes. The child was too cold to her liking. And yet, she would rather let her have that moment. They might both need it.

She could not help wondering what she had done wrong. Zelena was so afraid of her that it had to be her fault somehow. She tried to shake off those thoughts when she felt the redhead starting to calm down. At the moment, it was not about her, but the girl.

They stayed like that for another couple of minutes. Then, Zelena shifted a little and slowly moved away. All the while, she kept her gaze down.

“Hey.” Regina cupped her chin, not willing to let her close up. “Let’s go upstairs and get you something else to wear before you freeze to death, okay?” Zelena’s eyes flew to one side, where her dress remained. “Whatever happened, it’s okay. We’ll talk about it later.”

“I’m really sorry, Regina. I don’t mean to... be bad.”

That time, the brunette could not help letting out a sigh. She thought of what Snow would answer. She was not in the mood to give hope speeches, though.

“You’re not bad,” she replied firmly. “I don’t care who’s told you that. I’ve seen bad people and you aren’t one of them, I promise.”

Zelena looked her in the eye, first surprised and then dubious. However, she also looked composed enough and Regina took it as a small victory.

She accompanied her upstairs, even daring keep an arm across her shoulders. As long as the redhead allowed it, the mayor wanted to show her physical contact could be gentle and reassuring.

It was not completely unforeseen that Zelena’s insecurity returned when they reached her bedroom. She looked up at Regina as if she should still be expecting some sort of punishment.

“Come on, choose another thing you like,” she encouraged.

“Can I try on a pair of trousers?”

Regina’s immediate, affirmative answer seemed to quiet her doubts a bit and she changed into another outfit quickly.

Henry’s door was closed when they passed by, but the brunette did not interrupt whatever her son was doing. She reckoned she still had a situation to deal with downstairs.

Zelena followed her, deadly silent. Regina was beginning to fear all progress with her was lost. Had her sister been de-aged for just one day? It felt much longer than that.

When they reached the kitchen, she noticed the girl’s taut face, if only because she had known to look for it. Instead of commenting on it, she went to the sink and lifted the dress. At first sight, she could not find anything wrong with it.

“Over the other side,” the redhead whispered.

She turned it and immediately saw a dark stain. It seemed done by a marker —she had experience with those. In any case, there was no need to ask, because Zelena began to blurt out the story without prompting.

“I was drawing and the cap wouldn’t come off. The marker... Henry lent me his markers. One fell on the dress and my hands. I tried to... But I couldn’t... It was an accident.”

She had talked quickly, but had become quieter and quieter as Regina did not cut her off —as if she was unsure about how to proceed when she could actually offer excuses.

“You were trying to wash it away, right?” the brunette asked when Zelena ran out of words.

“Yes, but the stain won’t disappear. I... I didn’t mean to ruin my new dress. I promise I— I’ll be more careful next time.”

She did not say ‘Please’ again, but she was practically begging for a second chance.

“It’s not ruined,” Regina assured, biting back another sigh. “The stain will go away, but it’ll take more than dish soap. Do you want to see where we wash our clothes in this realm? We’ll need to put milk on the stain first, though. It’ll help to wash the ink away.”

The woman was pleased to see some curiosity return to blue eyes. She wanted to convince Zelena she could come to her with any problem, but she did not know the words that would make the girl believe her.

Henry came when they had turned on the washing machine and were watching the clothes spin around. He suggested they had a movie night —concretely, a Disney marathon of some sort. And so, the three of them made pizza for dinner.

A smile came back to Zelena’s face slowly and Regina was relieved to see that all progress had not been lost after all.

The first film was _Finding Nemo_, followed by _The Jungle Book_ and _Mulan_. She congratulated her son for his choices. As a little child, Henry had loved Disney films. It had been odd for Regina to watch such inaccuracies at first, but she had learnt to appreciate the joy that those movies brought to her little prince. It saddened her that most titles were now problematic for one reason or another —the most traumatic being probably _Peter Pan_.

Regina cut the pizza while the opening theme began. Zelena looked overwhelmed, having to tear her eyes away from the screen to cut her food into pieces. However, as soon as she saw Henry eating it with his hands, she hardly hesitated to follow his example. The mayor would rather not get her fingers dirty herself, but she understood why it was easier for them.

Yet, as the movie progressed, she noticed Zelena was uncomfortable. Her red locks were constantly threatening to get in her piece of pizza, so she had to wipe her hands clean every few seconds to put it out of her face. Truthfully, Regina had not thought of giving her any hair elastics and there was none at hand right then, either. Fortunately, magic could help with the latter.

“Would you like to tie up your hair, Zelena?” she asked, showing the hair tie she had discreetly produced.

The girl jumped a little, since she had been engrossed in Nemo’s story. Henry also looked away from the screen, having been oblivious to what was happening at the table. After a moment, the redhead nodded and got up to take it. Dory shouted on the screen, though, making her attention focus on it once again. Regina had to smile at her absorbed expression.

“Do you want me to do your hair?”

Despite not having meant to startle her for a second time, Zelena shifted her attention away from the screen at once.

“No, sorry, I—”

“I don’t mind. That way you can keep watching the movie,” Regina cut her off, making an effort to sound genuine and kind. She only received a shy nod in response, though.

Zelena put her chair near the brunette, facing the television. Regina could not help noticing the tension in her bony shoulders. She wanted to ask if there was something wrong, but they were not alone and she chased off the thought.

She began to brush the red hair with her fingers as gently as she could, hoping it would help the ginger calm down. It took a while, but she finally managed it and began to do a braid. She took her time, eventually offering the girl another piece of pizza so that she could keep eating, too. When she finished, she said so out loud and Zelena hurried to wipe off her hands. She touched her braid carefully and Regina waited for her verdict.

“Thank you,” she whispered, turning around. Despite her low voice, she had a bright smile on her face and so, the brunette had to stop herself from letting out a very obvious relieved breath.

They finished watching the film and then cleared the table to sit more comfortably on the couch. Taking advantage of the brief pause, Zelena went to the bathroom and came back saying how beautiful her French braid looked. Regina thanked her, visibly amused at her enthusiasm.

“I used to wear my hair like that when I was young.” Both children received the information with interest and Regina realised how odd it must have been for them to picture her with long, braided hair.

“My mother did, too,” Zelena replied after a moment.

Regina did not want an awkward silence to follow that statement, so she tried to come up with something quickly.

“I bet she looked as beautiful as you do,” she said handing her a bowl of ice cream.

Apparently, it was the right thing to say, because it only left room on Zelena’s face to wonderment and bright, simple happiness.

They enjoyed _The Jungle Book_’s songs while they ate ice cream, which the redhead predictably loved. Henry fell asleep at the beginning of _Mulan_, but the girl was enjoying it, so they stayed put until the end.

“Time to go to bed, honey. Wake up,” Regina whispered lovingly as credits rolled over. She noticed Zelena’s stare and wished herself not to read too much into it.

Later, when she had said ‘goodnight’ to Henry, she entered her sister’s room to do the same. The ginger was sitting in the bed, already under the covers.

“Everything okay?” she asked as Zelena looked up.

“Yes,” was the immediate answer, despite an evident lack of confidence. “I was about to try to sleep.”

Regina forced herself not to fidget. She wanted to say something, but she had no idea how to put it into words. The girl also seemed to be struggling to ask some question, but it was no surprise that she did not.

“Thank you, Regina, for everything,” she said instead with no little difficulty.

“You’re welcome.” After a moment’s doubt, she sat on the edge of the bed. “If you need anything, I want you to come and fetch me. I’m serious. No more panicking and no more trying to fix things on your own. No apologies, either,” she hurried to add when Zelena opened her mouth. “Do you promise you’ll come to me if you have some problem?”

The redhead looked stunned to silence, but oddly calmer, too. She just nodded after a slight hesitation.

“Good.” Regina allowed herself a smile as she briefly caressed her shocked face. “Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to know what you think, so please, leave a comment!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter ahead, hope you enjoy!

The following morning, it took Zelena a while to get her bearings and distinguish what belonged to dreams and what was real. The bedroom was dimly lit up by the rising sun. She had woken up to quiet and peace. It felt foreign and pleasant.

She did not bother to change out of her pyjamas, since the previous day Regina and Henry had eaten breakfast in their nightclothes, too. She headed for the kitchen without a second thought, but once there, she hesitated. She could try cooking breakfast, she might manage, but she did not know whether she should. By her reaction the previous night, she was worried it would upset the brunette.

She had lived with them for hardly more than a day. The rational part of herself insisted that she should be wary of them. Yet, she had decided to ignore that voice in favour of believing Regina would not hurt her. Coming in to calm her down after a nightmare and the incident with the dress should have been enough to do the trick, but what fuelled her determination was the adult’s reaction to her magic. There were ways to hide fear or disgust: by lashing out, by keeping a stoic façade. Nevertheless, no one could put on a good face after being thrown backwards unless some part of them meant it. Regina would not hurt her, so she shut up that voice that had been right on so many occasions, but that was utterly wrong at present.

Still, she would rather not do anything that would displease the brunette. On the contrary, she wanted to show she could do much better.

She did not feel like drawing or watching television on her own, so after walking around the house for a few minutes, boredom tempted her to bend another unspoken rule. If she had no clue why she was not supposed to cook on her own, she understood even less why they would be reluctant to let her go out. It might be because of her magic, but she was not completely sure.

She reflected on it as she looked out the window. The garden was beautiful. It did not grow vegetables, but it had plenty of flowers. Suddenly, she realised she longed to know how they smelt.

It would be just a moment, she told herself. The others were asleep, so she could probably go out for a while and no one would know. She was not even going to walk outside Regina’s property.

She opened the back door and the crispy air greeted her. It made her shudder and hesitate once again, but she hugged herself and stepped out.

The Mills garden was truly exquisite and she explored every inch carefully. Plants were still wet because of the morning dew, but she did not mind. She smelt and touched flowers she had never seen and enjoyed the first rays of sunshine that reached the garden.

Not even then did she realise the time.

Someone cleared their throat and startled Zelena out of her daydreaming. She spun around, away from the small, odd insect she had just been examining —a trusting one with black dots on its red back.

Regina was in the doorway and the ginger was not sure whether she looked mainly resigned or upset.

“What were you thinking?” she asked, exasperate, when Zelena came up to her. Despite not sounding particularly angry, the girl went red, having wanted to avoid such a situation from the beginning.

“I— I’m sorry, Regina. I didn’t think—”

“Exactly. You weren’t thinking.”

Despite cutting her off and sighing, there was no trace of fury on the woman’s face. Zelena let herself be ushered inside, puzzled and slightly afraid.

Once they were in the kitchen and the door to the backyard was shut, Regina crouched down. The redhead forced her arms to remain by her side instead of hugging herself again. She did not think she would have been able to disguise her shaking anyway.

The brunette sighed for the second time. Her current mood was a mystery to Zelena, although an outlandish theory was starting to take shape in her mind. She did not dare believe it. She had disobeyed —the woman should be furious.

Regina took off her robe and enveloped the girl with it. The redhead grabbed it at once, not without throwing a surprised look in her direction.

“It’s winter, Zelena. How didn’t you think of putting something on before going out?”

She was stunned. So Regina _was_ concerned.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled, drawing the robe tighter around her slender body.

Even though the brunette was clearly not pleased with her answer, she made the effort to crack a tiny smile. The girl looked down, unable to conceal her own uncertainty.

“Go sit by the fireplace. I’ll start making breakfast. Henry will be up at any moment.”

She hated the idea of sitting idly while other people were working, but she thought it would be wiser to keep out of the way. Thus, she obeyed without a word.

The fire crackled cheerfully in the living room, though there had been no wood in the fireplace an hour ago. She sat down and observed the flames. That was something she liked about herself: having hair of the same colour as such a powerful element.

Henry’s arrival a while later brightened her up. He tried to convince his mother to make something in the fire called marshmallows, but she did not budge. He and Zelena had hot cocoa and French toast, so the girl did not really mind much missing out on those marshmallows. She was rewarded with a bigger smile when she told Regina how much she had loved breakfast. Henry grumbled about treason, but winked —or tried to— to let her know he was just joking.

“We’ll have visitors today. Robin and Roland are going to drop by in an hour or so, so you need to go upstairs, take a shower and dress,” the woman announced when they finished eating. Then, she added to Zelena, “Robin’s a friend and Roland is his four-year-old son. Don’t worry, you’ll like them.”

Henry whispered some new information as they went upstairs.

“Robin is Mom’s boyfriend.”

“Oh. Are they going to get married?” She slapped her hands over her mouth in horror. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s not my business.”

He made a face, but dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand.

“Just don’t think too much about it. Believe me, you’ll thank me some day.”

She was confused, but heeded his advice.

She took a quick shower, since the boy had let her get in first, and then she chose another dress to wear for the day.

Regina was still in the kitchen, apparently preparing lunch for later. Zelena had had a bold idea before going downstairs, but now she hesitated to act upon it. Yet, when the brunette caught her staring, she had no option but to take a step forward and ask,

“I was thinking... Would you mind doing my hair again? If you’re not busy,” she added quickly when courage left her suddenly.

As it had been the norm recently, she should not have worried, for the brunette agreed without a second thought. When the girl was asked what style she favoured, she just shrugged, feeling relieved Regina was not upset with her, but also embarrassed and slightly guilty for fretting so often. She thought about asking the million questions that were in her mind, but she did not dare break the silence.

Zelena practically ran to the bathroom to see her new hairdo. Her reflection showed her something beautiful, she thought as she swallowed. Regina had braided her hair again, but that time most of it was down, with only two little braids holding it back. An overwhelming emotion was stuck in her throat. The brunette had not just done her hair, she had taken her time to create something pretty —she cared enough to do so.

When she got out of the bathroom, the kitchen was deserted. She thought the woman must have gone to change out of her pyjamas herself. She decided to wait in the living room for her and Henry to finish. Shortly after, when she was still alone, a strident sound scared her out of her wits. She was paralysed for a long moment, until Henry stomped downstairs and hurried to open the front door.

A deep voice greeted him, followed by a happy squeak that seemed to belong to a little child. Zelena realised that the latter must have been Roland, so Regina’s visit had already arrived. That horrible sound probably served to announce their arrival.

She remained on her spot, almost hoping that if she did not make a sound, they would not come to her. Of course, it was unrealistic. Neither the boy nor his mother had ever given any indication they would ignore her in such a way. A moment later, the front door clicked shut and Henry took them to the living room. Regina appeared almost at the same time and made the proper introductions.

Robin was tall, smiling brightly and easily. He looked utterly non-threatening. And yet, the girl could not help showing her shyest side and barely managed to reply to his greeting. She feared he would become disgruntled by that, but he gave no sign there was anything wrong.

Roland was slightly different. He was very young, so he had no problem in acting as if they were already friends —thus, needing no introductions. Everyone in the room had clearly taken a shine to the small boy and he enjoyed the attention.

Zelena looked at Regina dubiously when Roland insisted on going to Henry’s bedroom to play. She could not forget the incident of the previous day and did not believe the mayor could, either. Somehow, she sensed neither Locksley had the smallest ounce of magic. Unlike Regina, they could not protect themselves. Surely, it was wiser to play in the living room, where the adults could watch over them. The brunette seemed more interested in talking to Robin, though, and no one objected to the little one’s idea.

As Henry taught them how to play a board game with dice, Zelena tried to imagine how she could ask him about magic. Perhaps that night she would gather up enough courage to find out whether people in that realm did not fear magic or it was just one more special thing about his family.

She made an effort to relax when they began to play. However, her distress refused to go away. Roland was too clingy. He was seemingly obsessed with her hair and she could not bring herself to stop him from touching it. It did not actually displease her. She was just too disconcerted to keep her composure —_that_ was making her uncomfortable.

She was not used to children liking her —to anyone, really, but children were always painfully straightforward about their feelings. It had been hard enough to reassure herself about Henry’s intentions, but the blind trust and spirited goodness of a younger —more vulnerable— child were overwhelming. And maybe, what puzzled her most was that Roland behaved in the same way with her as he did with Henry.

Regina called them for lunch a while later. She looked happier and more carefree than Zelena had ever seen her. Her mood was no exception, though. At the table, everyone looked as if they were exactly where they wanted to be. It was a strange feeling, being surrounded by several people, all of them equally happy.

Robin seemed to have the same goodness in him as his son. He asked her some questions about the couple of days she had been living in the Mills mansion. She realised with a bit of shame that perhaps she should trust Regina next time she did not consider something a problem.

The Locksleys went home after having tidied up the kitchen. It seemed no one was in a hurry for saying goodbye, but they finally ran out of excuses. Zelena thought she had overheard Regina saying they could have stayed longer if only she was not expecting another visit soon. The redhead was intrigued by it, but tried not to give it too much thought.

Her goodbye was warmer than her greeting had been. Although no one had been upset about it earlier, the redhead could not help feeling a little proud of herself.

Not an hour later, the person Regina was expecting knocked on the front door. Curiosity was stronger than caution and Zelena peeked from the staircase as the mayor opened. A woman with short, black hair pushing a strange wheeled device came through. Wind slammed the door shut and something —or rather, someone— began wailing from inside the contraption. The newcomer sighed and picked up a baby.

“When I finally thought he’d stop crying... I would’ve left him with David or Emma, but they had an emergency at work. He’s being fussy all day. Almost as if he felt... you know, that we were coming here.”

“Nonsense,” replied Regina immediately. Her firm voice contrasted with her face when she started to coo at the baby to calm him down. “It’s not even the first time. He’s probably picked up on your anxiety, though.”

The woman was about to retort back when she noticed Zelena’s presence.

“We’d better talk alone,” she said instead.

The redhead felt her cheeks burn at having been caught. She cursed her stupidity, because there was no excuse for spying on private conversations. Regina turned back and saw her as well, but at least she did not look annoyed.

“You can leave Neal in the living room while we make some coffee and talk. He _is_ fussy when he feels ignored,” she offered, calmly.

The shorter brunette hesitated. It suddenly bothered Zelena to realise she wore her heart on her sleeve, despite being an adult.

“I don’t know.”

“Henry’s there,” Regina insisted.

The girl’s cheeks grew hotter when she understood the woman’s reluctance probably had something to do with her. She told herself it was reasonable. Regina’s friend did not know her, so she did not have to trust her, either. Besides, she may have been warned against the ginger’s unstable magic. Since Robin had not minded, it hurt the way she was being looked at —all too familiar—, but it was understandable.

Zelena wanted to go and hide in the living room, but after having been discovered, the least she could do was stay to greet the visitor. Regina then called her son, who received the woman warmly and even addressed her as ‘Grandma.’ Right there, the redhead decided she would not ask questions about it. Henry agreed to watch Neal while they talked and, then, the dreaded introduction took place. Zelena learnt the brunette’s name was Snow. Despite not being rude at all, in her greeting the redhead could feel the wariness she had already spied in her clear eyes.

The girl hurried to go back to Henry as soon as she could. He was playing with the baby, who was now sitting on the sofa. The boy beckoned her to join them.

She thought the teenager must be tired of having to take care of other children, including herself. However, if that were the case, he did not show it once. He was actually so good to her all the time that it felt like a dream. And since it was impossible not to let herself get carried away by his confidence, she allowed him to guide her through that strange world once more. Soon, they were both playing with the baby.

After a while, he excused himself to go to the bathroom, although he waited for her to agree before going. She tried to swallow down the panic that rose at once. She trusted Henry and he trusted her. It would be all right and over in less than five minutes. She would sound utterly silly if she refused to stay with Neal. With all those thoughts swimming in her head, she gave him a curt nod.

The baby observed Henry go and looked doubtful about whether it was worthy to cry about it or not. She tried to distract him and, for a moment, he looked content. The next second, he started wailing without apparent trigger. All the redhead could do was stare at him with a mixture of helplessness and horror.

Her fear grew when Snow barged in the living room. The violence of her body language made Zelena jumped off the couch and put some distance between her and Neal.

Snow picked up her son and half turned away from the girl, as if she wanted to shield him. Regina came in, too, frowning as she looked at both sides. Zelena did not know to whom she should apologise, but she hoped the mayor would be more willing to listen to her.

“I— I’m r— really sorry. I wasn’t... I— I—”

She could not keep on her incoherent mumbling when Regina stepped forward sharply, making her flinch back. Her field of vision was partly blocked by the woman, who did not even bother to look down at her. The redhead swallowed down the tears that blurred her gaze and noticed Snow’s eyes had become steel. She felt the warning, but she needed to speak up. And so, she made a greater effort to get hold of herself. She could not stand their thinking she had done something harmful to a baby.

“Please, I swear I haven’t done anything.” Her throat was drier and drier by the second and she could no longer swallow anything.

Despite her unwavering voice, her words sounded quite stupid to her own ears. She did not actually need to do anything to wrong someone. It was just in her nature. It was a part of herself, as much as her hair, her freckles or her buried anger. At that house, they had managed to make her forget how wicked she truly was, but nothing had changed.

She would have thought she could not avoid crying by then. Yet, she was as mute and insensitive as the world around her. In fact, it was Regina who shattered the spell. The mayor reached out and, in spite of flinching again, Zelena did not move out of the way. She was glad she had not when a moment later an arm surrounded her shoulders. She was brought closer to the brunette and had to fight the temptation to cling to her. Just like that, the knot in her stomach loosened and she felt much better.

“We know you haven’t,” Regina said, emphasizing the pronoun. All the while, her brown eyes were fixed on Snow’s green ones. “Babies cry all the time and parents can sometimes overreact a little.”

Zelena’s mouth hung open, because she was not expecting anyone to downplay the situation. She felt safe now, but had accepted her fault —she just wanted them to know the baby was okay.

She looked up at Regina, who sounded stern but did not let rage get the best of her. The redhead admired her for being the only person in the room to be in complete control of both her emotions and the situation. She was starting to understand there was no mask. The mayor felt the confidence and power she conveyed when she talked.

Nevertheless, Snow had not spoken yet. Zelena wished she would know what to say to make it all better. She was wondering who would break the silence again when Henry walked in. He did not bother to conceal his surprise at the scene before his eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, honey,” Regina hurried to answer. “Just a big misunderstanding.” The look she sent in Snow’s direction was as good as forcing her to agree. And, in the end, she did.

“Yes. Sorry for scaring you, Zelena.” Her voice was clipped and the redhead could just nod as she inched closer to Regina without realising.

The mood in the room did not lighten up, though.

“Uh, Grandma, are you going already? I’m staying at Emma’s tonight,” Henry asked, slightly hesitant.

“I think that would be better. Have you packed?”

“No, give me a minute. Be right back,” he replied and disappeared upstairs once more.

The tension between the two women did not fade away. After a moment of silent staring, Regina turned to Zelena and crouched down.

“Why don’t you go and help Henry packing?”

The girl nodded at once, even though she knew it was only an excuse to allow them to talk in private. She understood she had no right to interfere.

And yet, when she reached the boy’s door, she found out she had no strength left to face him with such a poor pretext. Thus, she went to her room instead and lay on the bed. She heard undistinguishable chatting, but did not try to understand. Only when everything was silent did it occur to her that she would have liked to say ‘goodbye’ to Henry.


	8. Chapter 8

A soft knock startled Zelena out of her thoughts a long while later. She thought it was a mere warning, but the door did not open until she voiced her permission. That simple gesture took her aback and almost managed to make her forget the fuss she had made earlier.

“How are you feeling?” Regina asked tentatively when she came in, looking her up and down.

“I’m all right,” the redhead assured as convincingly as possible. She fidgeted with her hands before going on. “I’m just... sorry for what happened. I should’ve apologised to Snow.”

Her face grew hot. She was looking down, but she felt the mattress deepen when Regina sat next to her on the bed. Zelena risked a glance up and saw the brunette frowning. Still, rather than upset or confused, the woman looked concerned.

“Of course not. You did nothing wrong.”

“I scared them. I didn’t mean to, but...” But she had. Her magic always scared people away, she should have been used to it by then. She was not, though, because the thought always brought tears to her eyes and that time it was no exception. She fixed her gaze back on her lap, wishing she could be stronger.

“Snow’s gone through some rough experiences and, while I understand her, I don’t blame _you_. You know I have magic, too, right?” Regina added suddenly.

Zelena looked up at her, surprised. A second later, she nodded hesitantly, still unsure of where the conversation was going.

“Do you think she’s scared of me?” Despite her serious face, a sharp smile seemed to be fighting to break Regina’s composed features.

“But you’ve got control over it,” the redhead protested. She did not have the chance to reflect on her tone.

“I have. It wasn’t always like that, though,” the brunette pointed out. “What about Robin, then? Or Roland or Henry? None of them has magic, either.”

Zelena bit her lip. She had meant to ask the boy, but now she had the opportunity to obtain answers from another magic user. She gathered up her courage and stared right into brown eyes.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Regina asked back, clearly lost. “Why haven’t they got magic?”

The girl shook her head. She was determined to discuss the topic, but words did not come easily.

“No. Why aren’t they scared of magic? Why aren’t _you_ scared of people knowing you have it?”

The last question was perhaps a bit stupid —Regina may not be afraid just because she could protect herself. Yet, it had slipped out and Zelena could not take it back. She kept a stubborn frown on her face, although on the inside her heart was pounding wildly.

The mayor opened her mouth to reply at once. Then, on second thought, she closed it and a small pause ensued.

“Why should I?” she finally asked instead.

Zelena felt paralysed at the idea of exposing her arguments. She was not sure of how they would be received. After all, Regina was obviously not ashamed of her powers and the girl did not wish to prove her wrong. She only wanted to understand.

“People don’t like magic. It isn’t good,” she muttered.

“Magic is a gift. It isn’t good or bad by itself. It depends on how you use it.” The brunette stared at her for an uncomfortable long moment. “Would you use it for evil?”

“What? No, I... I never...” Her voice trembled as she remembered the incident in the kitchen. “I don’t want to use it for evil. It was an accident.”

It occurred to her that one’s intentions mattered little when the results remained the same. Her father always said she was wicked and, despite never having harmed him, she had proved him right when she hurt Regina.

The brunette took her by surprise once again, though. Instead of being angry, of demanding her to stop making up excuses, she took her hands between her own very gently.

“See? That’s how I know you’re good. You’re still beside yourself with worry over an accident that had no consequences. You mustn’t fear your magic, dear. It’s truly a gift —one you’ll learn to control one day.”

Zelena looked down at their intertwined hands. She thought of how the rush of magic calmed her down when there was no one else to witness that it had got out in the first place. She would like to learn, so that she could stop being frightened of it.

“Will you show me how you do it?” she whispered.

She had never planned on asking, but as soon as she said it, she realised she had longed to see Regina’s magic from the moment she had learnt of the woman’s powers.

Apparently, the brunette was not expecting the request, either. Yet, she agreed easily a second later. She made it look completely effortless and not at all how Zelena had imagined it to be.

She freed one of her hands and put the palm facing up. She needed neither squint her eyes to focus hard nor whisper secret instructions. At once, bright lights appeared above her palm. They moved like fish in water and the girl was astonished when they left the sorceress’ hand to come closer and surround her. She tried not to let them out of her sight and, when she gathered the courage to reach out, the lights vanished upon her touch.

Neither of them bothered to conceal their emotions that time. Zelena was speechless and Regina looked plainly delighted.

“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” the redhead whispered as soon as she could.

It seemed there was still something else they wanted to add, but they did not get the chance. Zelena’s stomach grumbled unexpectedly and interrupted the moment.

“I think dinner’s overdue,” Regina said, not dropping her smile.

Eating without Henry was not awkward at all, to the girl’s relief. It may have been because of the chat they had just had. In any case, she enjoyed the unexpected feeling of belonging to that moment and to that place. She knew it could not last forever, but she was determined to carry with her the lessons she had learnt.

After dinner, the brunette accompanied her upstairs. It was late and there was no way to hide her yawns. The woman pulled back the covers and tucked her in afterwards. Zelena was amazed, whereas it seemed to come naturally to Regina.

“It’s been a long day,” the mayor said, biting her lip. The sentence felt incomplete, though.

The girl nodded in agreement. She also wanted to tell her not to worry, but the words would just not come to her.

“Would you like to hear a story? It may help you fall asleep.”

Had she found the words by then, Zelena would have refused. She did not really need it and would rather not be a nuisance. The offer was too tempting, though, and she could not bring herself to shake her head when staying quiet was so easy. She was hoping Regina would do it anyway. Yet, the brunette still looked unsure and so, a world finally managed to slip out of Zelena’s mouth.

“Please?”

It had an immediate response as the brunette smiled brightly. She did not look tired at all, even though she should be. She got up and went out to retrieve a book from Henry’s room. She came back shortly after, carrying a thick volume titled _The Complete Fairy Tales_. She sat down next to Zelena again and opened the book looking for the right page. Once she found it, she handed the book to the redhead.

“So you can follow the pictures as I tell the story,” Regina supplied.

The ginger ran her fingers through the illustrations carefully. The paper felt strong under her fingerprints, but the images looked delicately drawn. The traces were firm and the colours, soft. She almost forgot they were supposed to tell a story.

As always, Regina did not mind waiting while she adjusted to yet another new thing. She began her tale only when Zelena looked up and nodded, smiling all the while.

It was about an ugly duckling that felt like he belonged nowhere. However, in the end, he found out he was a swan and he got a family that loved and accepted him. The girl was a little ashamed to admit it had brought tears to her eyes. However, when Regina looked worried, she tried to reassure her, because despite being a sad tale, it had a happy ending. It was simply the most wonderful story Zelena had ever heard.

She could not help envying Regina’s ability to narrate stories. And, when the brunette accompanied her goodnight with a caress, she suddenly wished she could stay there forever. Maybe then, she would manage to learn some of the woman’s secrets.

Her face fell as soon as she was alone. It was a selfish wish. Her father needed her and she was willing to replace him for a perfect stranger that she had known for a handful of days —even if that stranger happened to be as wonderful as the stories she told.

The following morning began well enough. At the beginning, Zelena had tried to damp her enthusiasm a little out of respect for him, but it turned out to be more complicated than just following her guilty conscience. Regina looked slightly concerned and the redhead had to find the balance between not betraying her father and not worrying the mayor.

A new visit interrupted them shortly after breakfast. The brunette seemed not to be expecting that one, but she did not hesitate to let them through when she went to open the door.

It was a short, blonde woman. She had her hair tidied up in a messy top bun. Zelena’s eyes were fixed on her clothes, though. She was amazed at all different items people wore in that realm. She also noticed the blonde looked more carefree somehow, both in her style and attitude. She had a dazzling smile that lit up her whole face, too.

Regina introduced her friend as Tinker Bell.

“You can call me Tink,” the woman added right away. She offered the girl her hand, never dropping her smile. “It’s so nice to meet you, Zelena.”

The redhead smiled back shyly. She did not think she had ever met such an openly enthusiastic person, who, in addition, looked honestly pleased to be there with her.

“That’s pretty. Your short name. A— And your real name, of course.” She blushed as she stumbled over the words.

“Why, thank you.” It seemed impossible, but Tink brightened up even more.

“Wow. I must admit I didn’t really believe fairies could be good with children,” Regina cut in as she offered one of her characteristic smirks.

The world seemed to become quiet as Zelena stared at the blonde. She could not believe what she had just heard. And she could not help her reaction, either.

“Are you a _fairy_?” she asked, her voice full of quiet amazement.

A sudden silence ensued and Tinker Bell’s vibrant happiness was replaced by uncertainty. The redhead knew she should fix her wide blue eyes on something else, but she was not fully aware of her surroundings yet.

It was no surprise Regina was friends with a fairy. After all, the brunette was powerful and had magic herself. However, the fact that said creature was standing right in front of Zelena was indeed a little harder to believe. All of a sudden, she realised she had shaken hands with a real fairy.

She would never have guessed Tink was one of those, though. She had thought fairies were sort of ethereal and majestic. Yet, she supposed the blonde had a certain airy halo. Besides, she was practically bottled happiness.

“I guess I am,” replied Tinker Bell. She was visibly uncomfortable and Zelena’s cheeks became bright red, since it was her fault.

The girl was utterly relieved when Regina let out a short chuckle. This was her friend and she would not be laughing if Zelena’s bluntness had been offensive. It made the redhead bolder as well and she allowed her curiosity to get the best of her.

“And where... I— I mean, can all fairies fly?” she stuttered.

She was thankful she had thought better of asking directly where her wings were. In the case Tinker Bell did not have them, her question would have been incredibly rude. The ginger had no clue about fairies.

“Um, well...” Tink was still hesitating and Regina elbowed her.

“Oh, come on,” the brunette said. “You know you can fly now, you have your wings back.” The mayor turned to Zelena and smiled down at her warmly. “Did you know she once saved my life? I fell from a balcony and she could catch me on time thanks to her wings.”

The girl’s mouth hung open. She could easily believe it. She did not dare insist on the matter, though.

“Even if you’re not sure, look at her. She clearly believes you can,” Regina added, as if that meant something. Zelena’s face burnt hotter, but she could not quite conceal the hope in her eyes that, somehow, it did the trick.

The blonde hesitated for a few more seconds, until she finally acquiesced with a small smile.

“All right.”

She closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose, focusing. Zelena did not dare breathe. Suddenly, bright dust seemed to come off the fairy. It made her entire body literally glow. Little by little, the bright specks joined at her back and created what the girl guessed were her wings.

She had only imagined them from tales and now she knew how short they fell of conveying the actual magic of the moment. Tink’s wings far exceeded her expectations. They were as bright as their owner’s smile, practically made up of light. And when they fluttered slightly, Zelena could not help an awed gasp.

She felt very lucky that the blonde did not seem to want to spend time alone with Regina. Tinker Bell accepted to share a hot cocoa with them and told them of the adventures she had had as a fairy even when the ginger did not dare ask the questions that burnt her tongue.

From her stories, she could understand Tinker Bell was no common fairy. She seemed to have a penchant for breaking the rules and it had apparently got her into trouble on numerous occasions. The other fairies did not like it and, while Zelena did not know them, she did not think the blonde’s transgressions were so terrible. Besides, Tink, with her liking for blending the rules, might have considered listening to the pleas of someone like Zelena.

Henry returned when the fairy was almost ready to go. He came back with Robin and Roland and the three of them greeted Tink warmly. Zelena found that she enjoyed watching these open displays of affection. The boy even invited the blonde to stay for lunch, saying they would have something special. Yet, she declined, stating she had plans already. She made Zelena smile as big as ever when she promised she would return the following day, though.

Extraordinary lunch ended up meaning picnic —the concept of which they had to explain to the redhead first. Robin had made lunch and packed it into a basket, whereas Henry procured a blanket, so that they could eat it on the ground in the backyard.

It was the most relaxed and, at the same time, restless meal Zelena had ever had, since eating was constantly interrupted by several games. Sometimes, even the adults would join in the fun, like when they played cards or kicked a ball trying to score a goal —she and Regina totally won that game.

At the end of the day, her ribs hurt from laughing. She did not even know that was possible, but she saw the others were going through something similar and it set her mind at ease. Eventually, she realised she had not thought of her father in hours. She would have felt guiltier, but nothing could overshadow her happiness upon realising she had not thought once about the danger her magic posed, either.

She would never have guessed happiness could make one feel brave, but she did not remember ever feeling such courage as that night when Regina entered her bedroom.

“I hope you had a good time,” the brunette said.

“I did. It was wonderful,” Zelena answered. The enthusiasm in her voice was evident, and so was the anticipation. She fidgeted with her hands before taking a leap. “The boys said they usually play soccer at the park. I was wondering... whether we may go, too? Oh, and Henry mentioned a wishing well in the forest. I’d love to see one. He said we needed to ask you first. There seems to be a problem with the local people, but I promise I’ll be on my best behaviour. I’ll be good.”

Regina’s face had faltered midway through her rambling. The redhead had tried to fix whatever mistake she had made, but her promises solved nothing. It was impossible to guess what the brunette was thinking, but her serious face did not anticipate good news.

“Oh, Zelena...” Regina stood in the middle of the room awkwardly, gazing around as if she were looking for the right reply. “It’s quite complicated —the situation in Storybrooke, I mean. I don’t think it would be a good idea to take you to the park or to visit the well.”

“I— I understand,” she hurried to say. The colour had drained from her face and it hit her that she had never thought Regina could refuse. She was suddenly terrified of how that house was destroying every last of her defences. “It’s all right, I understand. I shouldn’t have asked. I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

Her last words seemed to shake Regina out of her shock. She finally came closer and sat down on the bed. Zelena could not help shuffling away a little. She felt utterly stupid and only wanted to be left alone.

“Don’t say that,” the brunette replied. “It’s not your fault the way things are and you’re not a nuisance. You have every right to ask whatever you have in mind, okay?”

The girl did not think she would ever dare ask anything without thinking twice again and she would be all the wiser for it. However, there were many other questions she had better find the courage to ask. For instance, when was she going to return home?

She thought she had no strength left to muster a last lie. And yet, instinct was powerful and won, so she gave Regina the curt nod that the woman was seeking. Although the brunette did not look very reassured, fortunately she let it go. She said ‘goodnight’ and, at last, Zelena was left alone with her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three chapters to go. Thanks for all the comments and kudos, they make me so very happy!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone. Thanks for reading!

If Regina thought too much about what was going on, she may end up crazy.

She had got almost no sleep that night because she had disappointed her de-aged, criminal big sister by refusing to take her to the park. It _was_ crazy. Only if she thought seriously about it, though.

That girl was neither a criminal nor her older sister. She was just an eleven-year-old that had needed days in order to gain enough confidence to ask for something as silly as getting out. And Regina had been forced by circumstances to say ‘no’ to her.

She closed her eyes for a second as she made breakfast. The amount of guilt she was feeling had caught her by surprise. She even wanted to apologise, but not at the cost of bringing the topic back up. She wished she could share her reasons. Besides being afraid of townspeople saying something hurtful to her and the explanations that would ensue, someone could actually try to hurt her, seeing not an innocent girl, but a defenceless wicked witch. The last case scenario was enough to make her hold her ground.

On top of everything else, she had to pretend nothing was wrong, since Zelena was right next to her. Currently, the girl was mesmerised by the two mugs of milk turning in the microwave. She had not made a fuss about her request being rejected. She was not even the slightest bit moody, instead seeming happy to help Regina cook breakfast as Henry got ready for school. Somehow, it made the brunette feel worse.

Zelena’s disappointment did show up briefly in her attitude when she and Henry talked over breakfast. Her smiles were not quite so sincere and she looked eager to stop talking.

Once her boy went out, Regina tried to lift the mood. After taking a shower and getting dressed, she offered to do the ginger’s hair once again. Zelena hesitated, but ended up agreeing. It was strange how she kept expecting to face her sister’s anger, only to feel utterly disconcerted when she found nothing but meekness.

“I have some paperwork to do,” she said as she worked on the red locks. “Perhaps I could do it in the living room if you feel like drawing meanwhile?”

Of course, Zelena nodded again. Regina wished she could be surer about her real feelings. She felt better knowing the girl was not alone, but it could also be selfish, because drawing may not be what she wanted to do.

Thankfully, the redhead seemed to enjoy herself at the very least. The woman was a little amazed at the level of concentration she displayed on her picture. After a couple of hours, she decided she needed a break from bureaucracy herself. She got up and could not help coming up to Zelena and taking a peek at her creation. Her furtive look turned into a stare, though, when an unexpected fondness invaded her every thought. The girl noticed it and looked up, worried. Regina, still speechless, put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her and was grateful that her gesture was not met with rejection.

“Zelena, this is beautiful,” she finally breathed.

Words had given her up momentarily as her eyes had fallen on a drawing of herself and Tinker Bell. It had been quite a shock. On second thought, perhaps it had been meant as a surprise and she should have asked for permission before seeing it. There was nothing she could do about it, but she turned her attention to the girl, trying to judge whether she had spoilt anything. Zelena just offered a hesitant smile.

“Do you really like it?” she asked, obviously delighted, albeit shy.

“Of course I do. And Tink’s going to love it, too, when she comes by and sees it this afternoon.”

The girl’s cheeks acquired a deep red colour, as if the possibility that the fairy would like to see it as well had not crossed her mind. Regina squeezed her shoulder briefly, because besides hope, she could appreciate a hint of fear in her blue eyes.

“Is it finished?”

Zelena turned to look at it again.

“I think so,” she judged, serious.

“What about you, though?” At her alarmed expression, Regina clarified, “Aren’t you going to paint yourself next to us, too?”

Zelena flustered even more upon hearing her last question,. All of a sudden, she was seemingly unable to construct a complete sentence.

“N— No, how could I...? I mean, I’m not... not...”

“I’d love to see you next to me in the picture,” the brunette cut in, as softly as possible. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass the girl further.

“I don’t know if I can...” was the mumbled answer.

As she thought of a suitable reply, Regina stepped forward and sat in a chair next to the redhead.

“I can if you’re okay with it,” she offered.

“Would you draw me?”

The brunette forced a smile at the obvious shock and repeated,

“If you don’t mind.”

Zelena shook her head and handed out the picture. At once, Regina started working.

As a little girl, she would usually spend her free time riding and, if the weather was bad, she enjoyed a good book or wrote in her diary. However, Henry did enjoy drawing in addition to reading and, therefore, she had got practice as she would often join him. She knew it was better to keep it simple. Bright red for the hair and light blue for the eyes. Green for the dress, because she was not ready to let that go, not even for her de-aged sister. And, above all, a big smile.

Zelena watched the whole process utterly shocked. Only when Regina put down the pencil did she dare take the piece of paper in her hands. She looked at it with such astonishment that, for a moment, the brunette felt like bursting into tears.

Regina fought to keep a pleasant smile, though, at the same time that she tried to ignore the sad reasons behind the girl’s incredulity. It was a rather unsuccessful attempt. She was suddenly startled out of her reverie when she felt, rather than saw, the redhead launching at her. Zelena hugged her fiercely, as she had done in the kitchen a couple of days ago. That time, however, she was clinging to her not out of fear, but of gratitude. She said ‘Thank you’ just once, so quietly that Regina barely heard her. It could not matter less. The brunette whispered ‘You’re welcome,’ completely focused on hugging her back with all her might.

* * *

Tink joined them for lunch. She had insisted it was her treat and so, she came carrying takeout from Granny’s. There was a bag that did not have Granny’s logo on it, though. Equally intrigued and touched, Regina saw the fairy hand it to Zelena. The redhead, who had shyly managed to answer to the spirited greeting, now looked at the paper bag as if it were the last thing she expected to find in Tink’s hands.

She stared at it for a few more seconds, showing no intention to take it. Then, she gazed up at Regina, presumably looking for some sort of guidance. With just a nod, the brunette encouraged her to accept the gift.

It was enough and, at last, Zelena grabbed it. Yet, her insecurity did not disappear. In absolute silence, she peeked inside and took a toy out of the bag.

It was a red-haired rag doll and its new owner looked at it absolutely incredulous. She turned to Regina again and the brunette understood the question that the girl did not dare ask.

“It’s for you, Zelena,” she assured her.

The ginger swallowed and looked at Tink, holding the doll tightly.

“Is it?” Her voice was merely a whisper.

“Of course,” the fairy confirmed, regaining part of the confidence that had deflated due to the lack of an immediate reaction.

“Thank you. I love it,” Zelena replied, still not daring raise her voice.

She was blushing and tried to hide it behind the ginger curls of her new toy. Regina observed her with a mixture of fondness and sadness before deciding to defuse the tension.

“I think you also have something to show Tink before lunch, don’t you?”

At once, the girl looked up and nodded. After a slight hesitation, she ran to the living room to retrieve her drawing.

As Regina had expected, the blonde was deeply moved. In return, the hug she gave Zelena threatened to render the redhead speechless forever. She recovered just in time to explain she wanted Tink to keep it, since the brunette already had one of her pictures.

Eventually, Zelena grew confident over lunch, as she opened more and more each time she answered any of the adults’ questions. They kept them light and simple: favourite food in Storybrooke, how she imagined the Emerald City to be, what stories she had heard about the Wizard... At the beginning, she had looked unsure about giving too many details, but as they continued asking, she lost any reluctance she might have harboured.

However, Regina almost wished Zelena was less perceptive when Tink asked her about her favourite game. The girl hardly had to think twice about it.

“Soccer,” she stated with a bright smile. “Henry taught me how to play yesterday. It was great. It’s a team sport and there are even professional players in leagues all over this realm! They play in very big stadiums where people go watch the game.” Her smile faltered suddenly, although she made an effort to keep it up. “The garden’s a bit small to play and you’ve got to be careful not to hit the plants. Henry says it’s better at the park, but... Uh... It’s okay,” she finished, a little awkwardly.

Tink looked at Regina, surprised, as Zelena picked up her hamburger and nibbled it, completely subdued. The brunette silently mouthed ‘Later’ and the fairy nodded, even though her confused frown did not change.

After lunch, she sent Zelena upstairs to take a shower, so that she could be alone with Tink. They sat at the kitchen table, where she explained the issue briefly, knowing they did not have much time.

“I don’t want to keep her locked up for crimes she’s not committed, but I can’t let her out, either. It’s too dangerous. She’s utterly vulnerable right now and I’m under no delusions that some people must’ve learned about her condition already.”

“You’ll be there to protect her,” reasoned Tink.

Regina let out a deep sigh and buried her face in her hands. She was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep for a few days without caring if everything went to hell. After indulging in that thought for a second, she got hold of herself and looked up. Tink was still frowning, but her confusion had been replaced by concern.

“What if I can’t? What if I can but she gets scared anyway and it triggers her magic? They’ll argue she poses a threat. She’s only a child.”

Tink took her hands, as if to make sure she would listen.

“You can’t live by ‘what ifs.’ It’ll drive you crazy. Actually, it already has. You need a break,” the fairy said firmly. “Why don’t you take her tomorrow morning? It’s a weekday, there will hardly be people at the park early and none at the children area.”

“And Henry and Roland? It’s a school day after all, but they should come if Zelena’s to have a good time.”

“Oh, c’mon, Regina. Don’t be so uptight. It’s only a day. They’ve been under so much stress they deserve all the fun they can get. The spell will fade away any day now.” Tink saw she was not getting through to her and changed her strategy slightly. “And you can still take them back for the afternoon classes.”

The mayor chuckled. The whole situation was surreal, but maybe her friend was right and they had all better have all the fun they could get before going insane.

“All those years in Neverland must’ve affected your sense of responsibility, but I think at least Henry would see you as a very cool aunt.”

Tink let out a short laugh as well and, when Zelena got downstairs shortly after, the adults still had amusement written all over their faces. Regina could have told her the good news then, but she chose to wait until that night. She would rather not deprive Henry from announcing it to the redhead himself.

Indeed, her son was excited when she told him about it as they took out the cutlery to set the table. She realised he was relishing the opportunity to meet this version of Zelena, much more accessible than his aunt. She was enjoying it, too, and was glad the redhead was having a good time even if she may not remember it later on. And yet, more often than not, the former Queen found herself missing her sister, quick barbs and deep conversations included. She felt like she had just started getting to know her when she had lost her once again.

At dinner, her son was straight to the point.

“Guess what, Zelena? Mom lets me skip class tomorrow to go to the park!”

“That’s great, Henry,” the girl said, forcing a smile

She had not shown signs of being surprised or disappointed, but she could not pretend she was happy and he noticed.

“No, I mean to go to the park with you,” he clarified.

“Oh,” Zelena uttered, suddenly frozen on her seat. She looked at Regina open-mouthed. “But I thought—”

“I was wrong,” the brunette cut her off. “I thought it was better not to push our luck, but sometimes taking risks is worth it.”

Her reassurances had no effect and the redhead quickly became anxious.

“Regina, I’m sorry if I’ve been moping around. You don’t need to do that, really.”

The mayor shook her head, gathering her patience to avoid a sharp reply. The easiness with which Zelena said the word ‘sorry’ got in her nerves, since it brought to mind her own childhood. Perhaps it was the reason why they had both grown into adults who were reluctant to throw away apologies.

“Calm down, you’ve been on your best behaviour. We can’t stay cooped up in the house, though, so tomorrow we’re going to enjoy a little trip, okay? I already talked to Robin and he’s agreed to come with Roland.”

Uncertainty remained in Zelena’s eyes for a moment, until a smile slowly broke out on her half worried, half incredulous face.

“Thank you,” she whispered, clearly still trying to wrap her head around the idea.

After dinner, Regina sent both children to bed, arguing they had to get up very early. Only Henry protested, even though in the morning he was also the one who had to fight off sleep, since Zelena was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're near the end! I wanted to finish posting this story before New Year, so I may post the final chapter tomorrow. We shall see. Anyway, hope you like it.

To go to the park, they had to get into a contraption called a car. They said it would take them to their destination within just a few minutes. Zelena soaked up their explanations, but as soon as the ride began, she was too absorbed in watching out of the window to think.

Storybrooke was a very strange town with plenty of tall buildings. The streets were wide and few people walked by. Soon, they left the buildings behind and nature gained more and more space. Regina stopped the car next to a clearing in the forest, where odd, bright-coloured structures stood out.

The girl stayed near the car even after Henry and his mother had got out. She wanted to take in everything and she also felt insecure about going off on her own.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing at an immense lake that shone in the background.

“That’s the sea,” the boy supplied at once and Zelena had to suppress a gasp.

“And this is the playground. There’s also a park, but Robin and I thought it would be a good place if you got tired of playing soccer,” said Regina.

“There used to be an old castle before. It was my favourite place, but Mom had to knock it down before it collapsed.”

A look of deep regret crossed Regina’s features fleetingly, even though his voice had mostly been nonchalant, albeit a bit flat.

“I’m sorry about how it happened, but it was truly risky,” she apologised quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I know,” he replied, covering her hand with his.

Zelena felt like she was intruding, but had no clue what else to do. Eventually, mother and son broke apart and Henry got excited again explaining what each structure was for.

The Locksleys arrived as well and both Roland and Henry wasted no time in introducing her to slides, climbers and swings. It was such a simple pastime and yet, it made Zelena enjoy herself more than she had ever believed to be possible.

There were no other children so early in the morning, so the three of them could enjoy the playground as if they owned it. They also played make-believe in the playhouse, pretending it was Henry’s castle —Roland kept referring to Regina as ‘the Queen,’ hence making her son a prince. Roland was his loyal knight and Zelena was the sorceress that tried —and managed— to conquest the place thanks to her cleverness. It was like creating your own dream and making it come true.

Before it was lunchtime, the five of them played soccer as it had been promised. That time, the light-hearted competition ended up in a tie. Hours later, back in the mansion, Robin and Regina got lunch ready while they took a shower.

_They_. The children. The three of them.

Throughout the day, Zelena realised that, more and more often, she would include herself when she thought of the children. Robin and Regina might not have been living together, but it was obvious they were a family. And they easily acted as if Zelena belonged to it. Thus, she had come to believe it without even being aware of it happening in the first place.

The thought bubbled up during the whole evening, refusing to go away. And shortly before dinner, it exploded.

Fortunately, the Locksleys were gone by then and she had been able to slip away earlier. And so, when her emotions demanded to get out, she was alone in her room.

As much as she tried, she could hardly breathe and keep her sobs quiet at the same time. She could not bring herself to care about how long it had been since she had excused herself. She was unable to focus on anything but on the feelings that threatened to suffocate her.

She had finally managed to find out what a family truly was and it was not real. She would have to leave them behind. Suddenly, she did not know if she could keep living her life knowing how utterly wrong it was.

She felt like she was never content with her lot. How was she to enjoy Regina’s kindness or Henry’s grins knowing it would all be snatched away from her sooner or later?

She was so focused on her pain that she did not hear anyone coming until they opened her bedroom door. She tried to stop crying, but it was to no avail. Hiding was no option, either, because she was sitting on the floor just beneath the window.

“Zelena? Are you okay?” It was Henry and he sounded extremely worried.

Her mask felt too far away from her to retrieve it, so she buried her face further in her arms. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but it only increased her trembling. Henry kept asking things she could not make out. And then, it took her a moment to realise she had stopped hearing his voice at all.

She risked a glance up. Even though tears blurred her vision, she could see that she was alone once more. It made her cry harder and she did not bother to question it. She had given up on trying to understand her own reactions a while ago.

With a mixture of relief and apprehension, she heard footsteps once again. She had half a mind to get up and run —to hide— when someone hurried to her side. Arms surrounded her with no hesitation, bringing her closer. At once, she abandoned the cold shelter of her own arms for the warm and solid safety of Regina’s body.

The brunette asked no questions. She just hugged her —one hand on her back and the other softly caressing her hair. Little by little, sobs subsided and Zelena calmed down, although she kept clinging to the woman for dear life.

As soon as she became aware of her actions, she felt ashamed, even if she had never received a reproach for such scenes in that house. She was slightly relieved when she finally looked up and her eyes only found Regina in the bedroom.

“Henry’s keeping an eye on dinner,” the brunette whispered, guessing her thoughts.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered right back as she wiped away her tears. She had no clue what else she could say. Her cheeks felt hotter than ever.

“Don’t be. It’s okay to show your emotions.” Zelena did not contradict her —she had just not got the strength for it. “Do you want to talk about it?” the brunette added.

The girl shook her head.

“Why not?”

“It can’t be fixed,” came the quiet answer.

There was another reason that she did not voice: having been caught twice crying when no one had even done anything to her was humiliating. The first time she had made a mistake and had been afraid of the consequences, but currently there were no tangible causes for her distress. If she said nothing, at least Regina would not know to what extent Zelena was a fool.

“Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. Anyway, a shared secret weighs less. Trust me, knowing something no one else does is exhausting.”

The redhead looked up to study the brunette carefully, finding her smirk oddly comforting. So far, they had been honest with her and she felt compelled to say something in return, even if she was mostly seeking to feel at peace with herself.

“I don’t want to go back,” she confessed as tears flooded her eyes once again. “I just don’t.”

That was all she managed to utter before her voice broke. She was taken aback when Regina’s eyes filled with tears, too.

“Is that it?” she asked. Despite her attempt to keep an even voice, it came out strangled.

Zelena nodded, trying to swallow down the lump in her throat.

“Come here,” was the answer, even though the redhead had barely stepped back. Regina hugged her again and she could not help regaining her tight grip in return, suddenly terrified. “You don’t have to go back. You don’t ever have to go back.”

“But what about my father? I have to...” she protested weakly.

“You deserve a family, Zelena, not someone who punishes you for who you are.”

The girl was tempted to remain like that forever, but she needed answers. She slipped from their embrace to look her in the eye.

“Would you teach me? To control my magic, I mean.”

“Of course.”

The quick answer eased her doubts a little, whereas her rational side made a compelling case about how learning to control her powers would help her to stop being fearful. It was not enough, though.

“So you wouldn’t mind having to take me in?”

“On the contrary, I’d be more than happy.”

Regina had her brown eyes fixed on her. Zelena could not identify every emotion contained in them, but she thought it was because they were full of tears and smiling all at once. She had to look away from their intensity to gather the courage for her next and last question.

“D’you think I could’ve... been enough if I hadn’t had magic?”

The brunette breathed in sharply, but the girl was not afraid for once.

“It was his fault, not yours in any way, that he didn’t cherish and love you as any parent should.”

Tears spilled out of blue eyes and Zelena hurried to wipe them away. Then, very slowly, she leaned forward and closed her eyes when Regina’s arms surrounded her once more.

“So am I really staying?” she asked, incapable of believing her luck completely.

“You are.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, Happy New Year, guys!  
Thanks a lot to everyone who has read and/or bookmarked this fic as well as to all those who have left comments and/or kudos. To be honest, I never expected a big response to this story, since I wrote it without any intention of posting it anywhere. Thus, I'm beyond grateful for all the support. I hope you have enjoyed this journey as I have. And well, here comes the last chapter!

Morning came fast and Zelena knew there was something wrong as soon as she became aware of her surroundings. Or maybe something was right once again after a long time.

She opened her eyes, verifying she was in her bedroom. Nothing odd there, then. The dim light that passed through the curtains let her know it was still very early. And, as it could be expected, the house was silent.

So far, nothing but a nagging feeling inside her was out of place.

She went downstairs, still perceiving her surroundings as if she was walking in a dream. She headed for the kitchen, hoping some tea would help to clear her head. Immediately, it hit her.

She froze in her tracks, looking down at her body and legs, then at her arms. She was back in her adult body, but she retained flashes from the last few days, when she had not been completely herself. Unable to cope with everything at once, she tried to put off those thoughts until she was calmer and, possibly, sitting.

She made the blasted tea, even though her shaking refused to go away. When she sat down, she breathed in the herbal scent of the beverage and covered her face with her hands, allowing herself to remember.

She had been a child. Those memories were mixed up with the real ones during her time in Oz. Despite being much clearer than the old ones, she could not shake the feeling that it had happened when she was really a little girl. And yet, at the same time, she knew the events were recent. She felt like her head was going to split.

She groaned as she realised how much vulnerability she had displayed and how silly she must have looked. She wondered whether she would even be capable of looking Regina and Henry in the eye. How, when being a child had not only been a burden for her, but for them, too?

It was not just the several revelations she had made about her past. She could have carried on with Henry knowing how much both her younger and current self admired him, but Regina was an entirely different matter. Little Zelena had completely idealised her. In any other circumstances, she would probably have laughed out loud because that pathetic girl had truly thought that she had not been lied to once or that Regina managed her anger well. The consequences of that behaviour were not laughable, though. She had even drawn her sister, for heaven’s sake. And Tink. And she had practically blushed like a schoolgirl with every one of the adults.

She groaned louder in an attempt to keep away her embarrassment. Taking advantage that no one was there to witness her dramatic antics, she let her arms and head fall flat on the table. The memories kept coming, not minding whether she could handle them or not.

“Zelena.”

The redhead looked up, startled. The word had hardly been breathed and she could not figure out the emotions contained in it.

Regina stood at the doorway, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and something else she had no time to identify before it was hidden behind the usual mask. Right then, she was not interested in reading her little sister. She did not think she could actually face anyone at the moment. And yet, she could not very well run away with the brunette blocking the exit.

“Good morning,” she replied instead, partly hiding her features behind her cup of tea.

“How are you?” Regina finally reacted and took a seat as well. “I wasn’t expecting... I didn’t know when the spell would fade away.”

“Yeah, about that. It happened very fast. I couldn’t avoid it.” Considering everything else, admitting her failure regarding Rumple’s magical device was not very hard. So much for breaking the laws of magic, she thought, almost rolling her eyes.

The brunette shook her head, clearly more interested in other matters.

“Don’t worry.” It seemed she wanted to say something else, but she stopped in her tracks as if another thought had come to mind unexpectedly. “But uh... Speaking of magic...” She left the sentence unfinished, but made an obvious gesture towards Zelena’s hands.

Instinctively, the redhead covered her right wrist. A couple of very tense seconds followed. She knew she could not win, though. She bit back a sigh and put her blank mask firmly back into place.

“Of course,” she acquiesced, as dispassionate as possible.

She extended her arm on the table, aloofly offering it to Regina. The brunette still hesitated, but in the end she made the cuff appear out of thin air and, gently, she put it on Zelena. The redhead snatched back her hand abruptly as she tried to conceal the sudden urge to throw up.

“Sis, I—”

“I know nothing’s changed,” Zelena cut her off, recovering her harshness. She had no wish to know what feelings Regina harboured at present. “Besides, I sort of owe you for how you’ve put up with me these days.”

Her dry statement was nowhere near a ‘thank you,’ but still, it did not sound as dismissive as she would have wanted it to be and her cheeks grew slightly hotter. Regina seemed not to have been expecting it and her eyes opened in surprise. For a moment, neither sister knew what to say.

“Nonsense,” the brunette managed to utter at last. “It’s been nice to talk to a sensible person for a change.”

Her sister smirked, softening the sharp edge of her joke. Even so, the redhead’s stomach tightened. Young Zelena may have been a burden, but one less heavy than her wicked self. She had not even had the chance to think about that. She was right when she had thought she was not ready to have that conversation.

“Well, since it was your decision to keep me around both times, I don’t think I’m going to apologise,” she snapped.

The child within herself rebelled at her tone. Some part of Zelena had wanted to thank Regina for having told the girl all she had needed to hear. Yet, she told that part to shut up, because it had done enough already.

The brunette’s surprise increased and she rolled her eyes. She was seemingly making an effort to remain on her seat, which Zelena thought was useless.

“Joking, sis.”

“Sure,” the ginger muttered under her breath.

She got up and left the half-empty cup in the sink, determined to get a few more moments of solitude. However, Regina imitated her and blocked the door again.

“You’re not going to storm out like this is somehow my fault,” she retorted. Her voice was starting to rise. “I’m not the one who got de-aged for being careless.”

“It was an accident!” Zelena exploded. “I was only trying to make sure it wasn’t dangerous.”

“Indeed. Well, then, it’s a good thing it wasn’t.”

Regina had been on the verge of biting her tongue, the redhead could tell. She had not, though, and the remark stung.

There were too many emotions inside of her at the moment —anger, fear, rejection, gratitude. To make it all worse, the confusion and the shouts brought to her memory her first days in the Mills mansion.

“Leave me alone, Regina.”

Her sister wanted to keep up the fight, but apparently she failed to find the words. After some mutual staring, she finally stepped aside. Zelena wasted no time in getting out, but she had barely reached the stairs when the brunette’s voice stopped her once again. She did not turn around, though.

“I don’t care if you don’t believe me or if it sounds crazy. I’m glad you’re yourself again.” Regina made a brief pause, but the redhead did not dare look at her yet. “You were not trouble at all and Henry and I love having had the chance to meet you as a child... But I missed my sister.”

Zelena blinked the tears away, because she could not stand displaying any more vulnerability so soon. She turned to Regina, who looked very insecure all of a sudden and that sight helped her calm down. She took a deep breath. She still wanted to thank her for the way she had treated her younger self, but she could not find the words to open herself that way —not yet. And so, all she could do was nod, acknowledging her sister’s bravery.

“I need to... I’m going to take a quick shower and then maybe I can join you and Henry for breakfast before you have to go?” She could not help the tentativeness in her voice, but was glad it brought back a smile to Regina’s face all the same.

“Of course. That would be great.”

And, perhaps, if she managed not to screw up that chance any time soon, she might be able to work up the courage to tell her sister about the things that sat like lead in her stomach. She would never admit to Regina that she was right, but a shared secret did weigh less.


End file.
